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THE 



REMAINS 



William Penn. 



PENNSYLVANIA'S PLEA, 
THE MISSION TO ENGLAND, VISIT TO THE GRAVE, 

LETTERS, ETC. 



t 



George L.' Harrison. 






PRIVATELY PRINTED. 

PHILADELPHIA : 

1882. 



v^ 



Copyright, Geobge L, Harrison, 1882. 



Press of 

GLOBE PRINTING HOUSE, 

Philadelphia. 



INSCRIBED 

TO 

HIS EXCELLENCY 

HENRY M. HOYT 

GOVERNOR OF PENNSYLVANIA ; 

WHOSE CONFIDENCE AND FRIENDSHIP IMPELLED ME TO THE UNDERTAKING, 

WHICH IS RECORDED IN THIS VOLUME; AND WHOSE INTEREST 

IN ITS SUCCESS DESERVES THE GRATITUDE AND 

RESPECT OF THE PEOPLE OF 

PENNSYLVANIA. 



CONTENTS. 



Pennsylvania's Plea 9 

Report of Mission to England 27 

A Visit to the Grave 69 

Correspondence, etc 81 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Stoke-Poges and Church of St. Giles Frontispiece. 

The Grave of William Penn 27 

Jordans' Meeting-House and Burial Ground 47 

The Grange. Residence of Isaac Penington 69 

Milton's Cottage in Chalfont 77 



THE PROPOSED TRANSFER 



REMAINS OF WILLIAM PENN 



ENGLAND TO AMERICA. 



AS the time for the celebration of the Bi- 
centennial Anniversary of the landing of 
William Penn on our shores draws nigh, public 
curiosity will no doubt be quickened to know 
why the chief and most significant of the cere- 
monial, by which it was proposed to honor the 
memory of the first proprietor of Pennsylvania, 
is lacking: — namely, the transfer of his remains 
from England to the custody of the State and City 
which he founded, and whose interests were dear 
to him to the latest hour of his life. 

For this reason it has seemed to me, that this 
would be the proper time to publish a narrative 

2 



10 

of the effort made by the State of Pennsylvania 
and the City of Philadelphia, to secure this trans- 
fer; — of the reasons why the effort was made; and, 
of the reasons, also, of its failure. The formal ac- 
count of my proceedings in the execution of this 
mission will appear in my report to Governor 
Hoyt, who commissioned me for the service, and 
which will form a part of this publication. 

In addition to the grounds asserted in this re- 
port, as fully sufficient to sustain the action of the 
Legislature, which induced the undertaking, my 
respect for this action and for its commendation 
and furtherance by other distinguished authorities, 
urges me to adduce new reasons and employ new 
arguments in favor of the proposition, and of the 
earnest and laborious efforts which were made to 
promote it. 

It will not be amiss, therefore, to consider why 
especial honor is due from Pennsylvania to her 
Founder. 

There is, I think, a wide-spread popular mis- 
apprehension as to both the character and pur- 
poses of William Penn. By the majority of care- 
less readers and thinkers, he is regarded merely 
as a sort of landlord, with somewhat broader 
and shrewder views than belonged to his time. 



11 

American literature, pictures and statues, all 
vaguely give us the idea that he was, at the time 
of his landing in the new world, a rather dull 
man, middle-aged in youth, inflexible in justice 
and in gravity; in short, without a single venial 
shortcoming — the very type and exponent of the 
straightest of his sect. 

Unfortunately his stay in his proprietary was 
short, and, during his absence, his maligners Avere 
active ; hence there are few pleasant personal 
traditions of him, lingering among us. Even his 
code of laws is so absorbed and thoroughly in- 
corporated in those of later date, that the people, 
who are every day benefited by its provisions, 
know nothing of the origin of their sagacity, their 
liberality, their purity. 

As to William Penn himself, unselfish, lavish in 
generosity, careless in the details of business, — 
though a shrewd and politic manager, — an im- 
aginative enthusiast, a doting father, a stubborn 
zealot in opinion, and a courtly cavalier in man- 
ners : He was, in a word, the most remarkable 
compound, which his remarkable time produced, 
of great intellectual powers, alloyed with many 
imperfections. The present generation is almost 
a stranger to the man. 



12 

Like all human souls intended to be leaders of 
mankind, William Penn was born into the world 
at the very time and place that it had need of 
him. It is only in the poet's rhyme, that in- 
effectual Hampdens and Miltons sleep mute and 
inglorious in village graves. Almost without ex- 
ception, no moral force has ever perished unused 
in the great concourse of humanity; nor, indeed, 
was any man ever born in advance of his time; 
unless so far, it may be said, as the horse precedes 
the load, in order that he may draw it. In this 
individual instance, at least, the world was wait- 
ing for a certain work to be done, and when the 
hour came, the workman was ready. It must be 
remembered that this hour was the crisis of centu- 
ries of misery and anarchy in society and politics 
and religion. Throughout Europe, the increasing 
burden of oppression, laid by the upper classes 
on the poor, had become, at last, intolerable. In 
the towns, little children, just emerged from the 
cradle, were driven to labor in the mills, to keep 
themselves alive. Starving mothers were hanged 
for stealing a loaf of bread. In the fields, old men 
and women were harnessed to the plough. The 
huts, tlie food and, one might almost say, the 
education of the agricultural laborer in England, 



13 

France and Germany, were inferior to such as we 
Avould give, now, to our cattle. A few years before, 
the Black Death had swept over Europe, carry- 
ing millions of paupers out of the filth and the 
foul air, the want and the brutal ignorance, which 
had produced the mighty destroyer. Meanwhile 
the Courts of Christendom displayed, during this 
era, an exceptional splendor, barbaric and ex- 
treme. Enormous incomes and vast estates were 
lavished by the monarchs of Europe on their 
parasites, male and female, without regard to 
decency or honor. Charles' court, for example, 
was as rich in chances for amassing wealth, as 
our modern California has ever been ; but that 
golden mine was only for the courtier, who was 
cunning and unscrupulous enough to descend to 
the degradation, which was essential to the privi- 
lege of working it. Religious power was every 
whit as tyrannical and inhuman as that of social 
caste. Its tendencies and acts became heartless 
and cruel, in proportion to its acquired strength. 
The "Catholic" tortured and burned the Protest- 
ant: The "Churchman," when he had power, 
massacred the Puritan : The Puritan, when his 
chance came, revenged his wrongs on the Baptist 
brother. A canting cruelty, in short, in high 



14 

places, had assumed the name of Christianity, and, 
in low places, the reaction against it, in the minds 
of the wronged and enraged illiterate masses, took 
shape in a rebellion of fanaticism, of utter unbelief, 
or, of a mad superstition, whose frantic outbursts 
had in them strange echoes of demoniac darkness. 

The most venerated cathedrals in England were 
desecrated to the use of stables. Atheistic black- 
smiths and drunken tailors, proclaiming them- 
selves to be Deity, preached in the highways and 
converted many followers ; the Messiah was born 
again in England, Germany and France; men 
starved themselves to death; human sacrifices 
were frequent ; fathers slew their children ; moth- 
ers crucified their own white-haired mothers — all 
to appease an angry, implacable God. Every form 
of religious faith and religious scepticism was 
struggling through this fermenting chaos, except- 
ing the pure, simple truths of Christianity itself, 
which seemed, for the time, hidden in this vortex 
of disorder. 

Into this day of gloom, when oppression of body 
and despair of soul were the normal conditions of 
life in Europe, William Penn was born. He was 
the son, on one side, of a courtier, probably as 
brave, as keen-witted, as artful and unscrupu- 



15 

lous as any in England ; and, on the other, of an 
unworldly, speculative, dreamy, German mother. 
The circumstances of his life were largely moulded 
by his father; his character and genius he owed to 
his mother. Sir William Penn was then the first 
sea-captain in Europe. He held his stout arm and 
his shrewd brain at the service of King or Pro- 
tector, whichever should bid the highest. He had 
but one motive in life ; ambition for his son. He 
had given him, already, the material for high 
content, in affluence, distinguished lineage and 
a home abounding in comfort and not ungilded 
by splendor. But, besides all this, he meant to 
secure for him standing-ground at Court, from 
which he could win his way upward. What more, 
according to his theory of life, could a father do 
for a son ? But, even then, the boy knew that 
this was not enough. He had sound health and 
the superb physical development of a young 
athlete. He was trained, as the son of a Courtier, 
to expertness in all deeds of grace and gallantry. 
He rode, danced and fenced with singular skill, 
taking keen delight in all. But the lad, in the 
midst of the gay, courtly life about him, was 
like a sapling oak in a flower-bed. He had cer- 
tain rugged traits, which baffled all smoothing 



16 

processes. The habits of the people about him 
were cruel and inhuman, but he was kind, with 
a peculiar womanly kindness, to animals, to the 
poor, to all helpless creatures. The boy, too, had 
strange moods; he lived apart at times for weeks, 
in absolute silence. He saw visions, he dreamed 
strange dreams. Soft lights shone about him in 
the darkness, he heard voices from heaven or 
hell, telling him what to do. Out from these 
visions he would come, pale, trembling, wet with 
cold sweat. In a day or two, what with the chase, 
his horse or his sword-play, he would forget his 
visions and his voices. Here, in this hint of his 
boyhood, is outlined William Penn's whole life. 
By nature a seer, a religious leader, he was per- 
petually dragged, by circumstances, into the slough 
of the world. The facts of his history are but the 
data of this exhaustive struggle in his soul, by 
which, at last, the world was so greatly the gainer, 
and, by which, the phj^sical man himself perished. 
The eager youth at Oxford, having out-stripped 
all his fellows as scholar and athlete, suddenly 
turned his back upon them, to become the dis- 
ciple of the despised fanatic, the "quaker Loe," 
whom he found preaching eternal life on a com- 
mon. Alone he went down into the depths of his 



17 

own consciousness, to wrestle with the dreadful 
mysteries, death and life. At eighteen he came 
out boldly, a guileless, undoubting young David, 
who would put an end to the great giant corrup- 
tion, with his own little stone and sling. The 
court and people of England, he declared, were 
plunged in darkness and debauchery. He was ex- 
pelled from Oxford for his opinions. His worldly 
old father beat and starved the fervid young as- 
cetic, then turned him out of doors; — but all in 
vain. Then, with shrewder policy, he sent his son 
to France, to the court of the French king, Louis 
Quatorze, by whom he was welcomed and caressed. 
In two years, the austere, gloomy young man came 
home a gallant soldier, a gay, brilliant man of the 
world, with that exquisite courtliness of manner 
which he never lost. It is the old story, which 
repeats itself in every man's history, of the struggle 
of the soul between good and evil. The prince of 
this world had nearly won in Penn's case. He 
became a prime favorite in Charles' dissolute court, 
and a leader in the equally corrupt vice-regal one 
in Ireland. He applied for military promotion. 
A splendid career opened itself before him. He 
had every quality to insure triumph in it — youth, 
rank, manly beauty, high intellectual power, great 

3 



18 

personal magnetism. The golden gates of success 
had rolled back for him on smooth hinges, when 
he suddenly awoke from his pleasant dream to 
the stern reality. God overhead and hell under- 
neath ; and, around and about him, indescribable 
want, vice and wretchedness. He threw up all his 
chances of worldly advancement, was turned adrift 
penniless by his father, came forth openly as a 
disciple of the then poor and ridiculed sect of 
quakers, and was, in six months, in prison for the 
"truth's sake." From that time his faith never' 
wavered, and his steady, inflexible, though gentle, 
determination overruled at length the stubborn- 
ness of his father, who kindly submitted to his 
son's course and conduct, without further contest. 
I have no intention of following the life of 
William Penn, step by step. All are familiar with 
the details. It seems probable that his burning 
desire to help the misery around him, first took a 
practical shape in the idea of an American colony, 
while in prison. He became intimate with Whit- 
lock, sometime Ambassador to Sweden, and, from 
him, heard much of the wisdom and policy of 
Chancellor Oxenstiern, then the purest statesman 
in Europe. Oxenstiern had been the chief agent 
employed by Gustavus Adolphus and his daughter 



19 

Christina, in forming a settlement in the great 
Western wilderness, in which, as Gustavus said, 
" every man should have enough to eat and tolera- 
tion to worship God." It was a favorite hobby of 
the great Swede, to establish this far-off city of 
refuge for the down-trodden people of Europe. 
" It is to be," said Gustavus, " a state absolutely 
free, and an asylum for the oppressed of every 
creed," thirty years before this colony had actu- 
ally been founded on the banks of the DelaAvare, 
on the very spot where Penn afterwards landed, 
the present city of Philadelphia. There seems to 
be no doubt that Penn heard of this experiment 
through Whitlock and Oxenstiern, and that it 
served to formulate and make tangible in his 
mind, his own long cherished scheme, or, rather, 
his vague dreams, for the relief of the victims of 
religious tyranny in England and on the Con- 
tinent. 

Every young man of noble instincts has, at 
some period, such aspirations ; some plan to restore 
freedom and happiness to the masses, whom he 
sees maltreated and debased through tyranny and 
corruption. But, usually, these heroic dreams die 
out, in a busy man's life, before middle age. On 
the contrary, with William Penn it grew with 



20 

every year, until it absorbed all his aims and 
hopes. This Utopia beyond the sea, where free 
men could earn their bread and worship God 
under any creed, unmolested by noble or priest, 
was the practical result of all his religious strug- 
gles, his persecutions, his ambitions. It was the 
actual building which he was sent to rear for 
his fellow men, on the foundation of Christian 
love and pure humanity. In his later years, when 
the work was done, doubtless there were times, 
when it must have seemed to him, that he had 
built upon wood and stubble, rather than endur- 
ing stone. His disappointments in his colony 
were often discouraging and severe. Instead of 
an earthly paradise of God-fearing, peaceable men, 
frequent strifes disturbed the deliberations, and 
confused the action of his associates and advisers. 
Indeed, he himself was treated with ingratitude 
and basely slandered, not only in his own colony, 
but in his native home, where he was consigned, 
even in his old age, to a debtor's prison. He 
died a poor man ; even his brain gave way under 
its heavy load. But, through all, his faith in his 
holy experiment was never shaken. No grief, nor 
loss, nor ingratitude would persuade him to give 
up his tender care of it ; for it, he sacrificed the 



21 

interests of wife and children ; and even in his 
clouded, dying moments, he turned to it with a 
certain exaltation of soul — the peculiar fervor 
which a woman feels for her first-born child, or 
a man for the work, in which he has come nearest 
to God. 

It is for his labors on behalf of this country, and 
for those only, that his name is celebrated in the 
annals of mankind. We cannot, therefore, see the 
unreasonableness of the request, that his remains 
be transferred to our midst. The most highly 
honored of England's sons do not rest among 
their kindred, but under the arches of Westmin- 
ster Abbey. In all ages it has been an instinct 
with civilized races, that they, who have signally 
benefited mankind, and whose character would be 
a helpful example to posterity, should be laid in 
some place of honor, where it would be impossible 
for the world to forget them. Greece and Rome, 
again and again, testified their gratitude and their 
large humanity in this manner. In the early his- 
tory of the Christian Church, long before supersti- 
tion abused the practice, it was the prevalent cus- 
tom to remove the bodies of those who had suffered 
persecution for th^ faith, from the places of conceal- 
ment, in which their friends had deposited them, to 



22 

some honored sanctuary, in order that such noble 
lives might be held in long remembrance. 

These are not inappropriate examples of the case 
we are considering. But there is a classical prece- 
dent, which, though not entirely analogous, is re- 
levant and suggestive. 

It is the case of Alexander the Great, who, dy- 
ing in the far East, instead of being interred there, 
or taken home to Macedonia for interment, after 
being carried about and remaining unburied for 
two years, was taken to Alexandria, the great city 
which he had founded, and placed in a temple built 
for him there. It was his expressed wish that he 
should be buried in the Temple of Jupiter Ammon, 
in accordance with his fancy that he was the son 
of that " god," but a higher propriety determined 
his resting place at Alexandria. 

Such instincts were no more reasonable in an- 
cient times and circumstances, than they are in the 
present day. 

These are cogent reasons, apparent to the most 
careless observer, why Pennsylvania should pay 
this late, marked homage to the memory of 
William Penn. Her appreciation of his perfect 
fitness for the work, her realization of the enor- 
mous sacrifices which he suffered in conducting 



23 

and perfecting it, manifest a devotion to his mem- 
ory, and suggest a right to dignify and perpetuate 
it, as she proposes. He was her founder — establish- 
ing and supporting her during infancy, through 
enormous pecuniary and. personal loss. He made 
her the first and only colony in the New World, 
where religious toleration was enforced. , He gave 
her a code of laws, which yet serve as a basis for 
her government, and whose justice and wisdom 
have never been questioned. More than this : the 
calm, patient sagacity, the charity and the thor- 
oughness, in his conception of the work, which 
w^ere the distinguished characteristics of this great 
man, are yet perceptible in the character of the 
State and City, which owe to him their existence. 
But there is another reason, not so apparent, 
which should be suggested, as equally impressive. 
Now, more than at any previous time, we seem to 
need the example which this man affords us. Now, 
when wealth and office are set up in every public 
place, as objects to be gained, by the sacrifice, if 
needs be, of honor and honesty and decency, the re- 
membrance of a man who, in the glorj- and lofti- 
ness of early manhood, turned his back on courts, 
fortune and title, to serve God with a poor despised 
sect of religionists, and to surrender all worldly 



24 

gifts in the service of oppressed humanity, cannot 
fail to be purifying and elevating in influence. 
Now, when the heat and struggle are most fierce 
and pitiless in the market-place, brother thrust- 
ing brother aside to make room for himself; the 
interests of the unthinking and credulous many, 
in every class, sacrificed to those of the keen-witted 
and unscrupulous few ; the widow and the orphan, 
the wife and child ruthlessly cheated and im- 
poverished by the stealthy and disguised hypocrite, 
whose post was the natural guardian of the suf- 
ferers, for his own selfish and ambitious ends : 
waste and extravagance and other mal-administra- 
tion, so reducing the possible number of beneficia- 
ries of a charity, as to shut out many suffering claim- 
ants who have been long and anxiously waiting for 
its privileges; and that outright robbery which de- 
spoils the distressed and the helpless — whom God 
has given to us for an heritage, with positive 
claims upon our almsgiving — of the very necessa- 
ries of life : When such things can be, it is needful 
that we should keep before our view this heroic 
projector of our State ; a model of honesty and 
charity, who surrendered all his chances in life to 
serve men whom he had never seen, and who still 
continued to serve them when he received injury 



25 

instead of gratitude. His work is almost forgotten 
now, in his native country; but we, the five mill- 
ion people, who profit, after two centuries, by his 
sacrifices, are ready to offer him that tribute of 
gratitude and whole-hearted reverence, that was 
denied him, while living, by his own sect, which 
he so entirely trusted ; and, now, by the English 
people. 

Upon such grounds as these, the Legislature of 
Pennsylvania base their application to bring the 
remains of its great founder to Philadelphia, and 
there to deposit them as a most sacred trust, con- 
fident that their silent presence, during all future 
time, would prove to the hurrying thousands, who 
should pass by them, each day, a reminder of truth, 
honesty and heroic self-sacrifice, both powerful and 
ennobling to the minds and hearts of the people. 

The proposed removal was a measure adjudged 
proper and honorable by eminent Friends in Eng- 
land, and universally by others, with whom I con- 
ferred on the subject, whose high standing and 
impartial judgment are not excelled by any in the 
kingdom. But I regret to say that the disinter- 
ment and transfer of the remains of William Penn 
were not approved by the Friends as a society, 
either here or in England. 



26 

It seems proper to me in consideration of the 
high authorities which directed and commended 
this proceeding ; in consideration also of the spe- 
cial mission to England in furtherance of its suc- 
cess, and the long and persistent labors to achieve 
it, that this record should be made, as a justifica- 
tion of the motives which induced the action, and, 
also, of the steps which were taken to make it suc- 
cessful. No effort which could be made to secure 
the desired end was neglected ; but every influ- 
ence was used which could be brought to bear 
upon those, who have assumed control of the re- 
mains. That these efforts and influence proved 
unavailing was due to an inflexible resolve, de- 
cided upon before I reached England, and which 
made them deaf to all arguments ; rather, indeed, 
unwilling to open their ears to receive them. 



NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION. 



To His Excellency, 

Henry M. Hoyt, Governor of Pennsylvania. 

Dear Sir: 

I have the honor to make the following 
report of my mission to England, by your appoint- 
ment, for the purpose of effecting the offered trans- 
fer of the remains of William Penn to Pennsyl- 
vania, in furtherance of the request of the Legisla- 
ture of the Commonwealth. 

Your Excellency will remember that, upon the 
eve of my departure from England, where the 
transactions in this matter became widety known 
through the public press, and where erroneous 
vicAvs might, otherAvise, have obtained, I distrib- 
uted amongst a limited number of proper persons, 
a printed statement of the history of our applica- 
tion, the reasons for it, and the results. I took 
this course, in order to secure an accurate under- 
standing of the question, and, thereb}^, an appre- 
ciation of the reasonableness of the action of the 
Legislature; believing that such recognition would, 



28 

sooner or later, accomplish a favorable answer to 
the resolutions of that body. 

As the Legislature of Pennsylvania would not 
meet for nearly a year after the close of my mission, 
I ventured to request your Excellency to accept 
temporarily this publication, in lieu of the formal 
report which I should have the honor to make to 
you at a later time; and I thank your Excellency 
for the needed indulgence. I desire, however, to 
express my regret, that parts of my English publi- 
cation appeared in our own newspapers; although 
it was intended solely for England, and was dis- 
tributed privately, and with much circumspection. 



REPORT. 

On May 25th, 1881, I received from your Ex- 
cellency the following letter: 

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 

Executive Chamber, 

Harrisburg, May 24:th, 1881. 
Dear Sir: 

I take the liberty of enclosing a copy of a 
joint resolution of the Legislature in regard to the 
offered transfer of the remains of William Penn to 
Pennsylvania, by one of the Society of Friends in 
England. 



29 

Deeming that the contempkited removal can be 
most expeditiously and properly accomplished 
through the efforts, and under the superintendence 
of some gentleman authorized by the Governor, 
who will undertake the journey to England, and 
visit in person the parties named in the resolution, 
and others if necessary, I would be greatly obliged 
and pleased if you would accept the mission. 

It will, of course, be a purely honorary service, 
as the resolution does not provide for such an 
agent; and I presume upon your kindness and 
public spirit, in asking you to assist, in a manner 
that seems to me better than a long and tedious 
correspondence, in effecting the object of the reso- 
lution. In the hope that you may find it possible 
to accept, and will permit me to send you creden- 
tials from this department, and from the Secretary 
of State at Washington, I have the honor to be, 
with great esteem. 

Yours very truly, 
To George L. Harrison, Esq., Heney M. Hoyt. 

Philadelphia, Penna. 

Fully appreciating the honor of being chosen by 
you for the delicate service, and possessing full 
confidence in the reasonableness and justness of 
the action of the Legislature in the matter, I ac- 
cepted the charge, being satisfied that the grounds 
upon which the proposal might be based, were 



30 

abundantly sufficient to insure its success. Dur- 
ing the intervening month, between the times of 
my appointment and departure from home, how- 
ever, a number of incidents occurred to discourage 
my expectations; which induced me to express to 
you, by letter, serious doubts of a successful issue; 
but the hope, also, that my efforts might aid in 
the accomplishment, at a future day, of this laud- 
able object. 

The credentials which I had the honor to receive 
from your Excellency, were supplemented by oth- 
ers from the Department of State of the United 
States ; — and the authorities of the City of Philadel- 
phia, also, took occasion to make official request, 
through me, for the furtherance of the mission 
with which you had entrusted me. 

These several documents having been obtained, 
and such consultation had with intelligent and 
judicious persons in this country, as seemed desir- 
able, I sailed for England on June 22d, and arrived 
there on July 2d, 1881. 

Immediately after my arrival in London, I 
sought an interview with Mr. Dillwyn Parrish, at 
whose suggestion this effort was undertaken, and I 
learned from him that nothing had thus far been 
done in the matter. I was informed, however, that 



31 

Mr. Penn Gaskill, a lineal descendant of William 
Penn by his first wife, was highly favorable to the 
project, and that he would encourage its realiza- 
tion. I had personal or epistolary communication 
with this gentleman, and all the other heirs of 
William Penn, either directly or by representative, 
and learned their views upon the subject. The 
"descendant in America," who promised success if 
he was appointed "commissioner," became actively 
opposed to it, when the appointment was refused. 
A more respectable opposition however, was enter- 
tained by Col. Stuart, a lineal descendant by the 
second wife, and a very honorable gentleman, form- 
erly of the English Army, and a member of Parlia- 
ment. A "repugnance" to the disinterment of his 
ancestor's remains was expressed by Col. Stuart for 
himself and other members of this branch of the 
Penn family. But this opinion was kindly given, 
and would not have been maintained, if the trust- 
ees of the burial ground had withdrawn their op- 
position. It may be mentioned here, that the 
Government of Great Britain dispenses an annuity 
of £4000 to Col. Stuart and his fellow heirs, in lieu 
of the Penn Estate in Pennsylvania, which was 
confiscated at the time of the Revolution. The 
qualified "repugnance" of these "heirs" may find 



32 

a reason in the declared opi^osition of the Minister 
of the English Government, hereafter referred to, 
who also expressed his doubt as to the right of Col. 
Stuart to receive this annuity. 

I was desirous, in prosecuting my errand, to re- 
member always, that I was acting for the Governor 
of Pennsylvania, and to avoid the possibility of the 
reflection upon your Excellency, of a want of 
proper intelligence or courtesy on my part, in 
dealing with the subject, and with those who had 
the authority to grant or to refuse the request of 
the Legislature. With this constant impression 
upon my mind, I sought and obtained many con- 
ferences with leading men in the councils of the 
country; members of Parliament, advisers of the 
Queen, parties otherwise distinguished; and, also 
with several prominent members of the Society of 
Friends, who called upon me, or upon whom I 
called, in order to learn individual opinion, and 
the grounds of the general objection of Friends to 
the undertaking. From all these persons, I sought 
for such conclusions as would result from an unbi- 
assed consideration of the question, and an appre- 
ciation of all the facts and circumstances bearing 
upon it. The invariable opinion of individuals, 
freely and frankly given, was, with one exception, 



33 

favorable to the success of my mission ; the Friends, 
however, declaring that they must abide by the ac- 
tion of their Society as a whole. The "exception" 
was an eminent member of the Society of Friends, 
and also of the present Government of Great Bri- 
tain. His argument was based upon the "gro- 
tesqueness" of the idea of disintering a human 
body, and the "cruel" design of separating the 
mortal remains of William Penn from those of Gu- 
lielma, his first wife; — indeed, a most noble woman, 
towards whose memory wrong or indignity might 
well be resented. 

On the other hand, a distinguished nobleman, 
not of the government, but very closely allied to the 
Queen by other relations, expressed his own wish 
for my success, and stated, also, that the Queen 
Avould be glad to promote the object, if she could; 
but that it was not a national question. I ascer- 
tained that the Home Department of the Ministry, 
whose approval is required for the disinterment of 
the dead, would not interfere, if the consent of the 
Trustees should be obtained. 

It seems, therefore, to resolve itself into this con- 
clusion; viz., that Friends, as a body alone, hin- 
dered the accomplishment of the wishes of the peo- 

5 



34 

pie of Pennsylvania, for the proposed transfer of 
William Penn's remains. 

I think I may safely say, also, that the pre-deter- 
mined hostility of Mr. Richard Littleboy to any 
consideration of our proposal, would not have met 
its parallel in any other Friend in England; that 
his omission to consult the ablest and most liberal 
minds outside, and even within the small body who 
constituted his committee of advice ; his obstruc- 
tion to a personal meeting of this committee with 
myself; indeed, his unyielding personal unwilling- 
ness either to consider, candidly, the subject him- 
self, or allow his associates to hear and determine; — 
these unreasonable and ungenerous obstacles stood 
prominently forth as a hindrance to the fulfilment 
of a project which, as I have stated, was approved 
by individual Friends and others of the highest 
consideration, with®ut reserve. Mr. Littleboy, a 
neighbor to the sequestered meeting-house and 
grave-yard in Buckinghamshire, by his own per- 
sonal will, constituted himself, practically, the rep- 
resentative of the fourteen thousand members of 
the Society of Friends in England, insisted upon 
hearing, alone, and deciding for himself, — his 
brother perhaps included, — that the prestige of the 
presence of William Penn's remains in Jordan's 



35 

burial-ground was necessary for the conservation 
of that Society. 

The sincerity of Mr. Richard Littleboy's convic- 
tions is not questioned, but only the propriety of 
the course he pursued in carrying out his purpose. 
This was, to say the least, discourteous and unfair. 
We sought only to make our application, fully and 
frankly, to the "Committee of Trustees appointed 
to receive it," and a personal interview was 
promised your representative, unless Mr. Little- 
boy's reasons for refusal were satisfactory. But, 
instead of this reasonable course, a formal denial 
of our "application" was prepared and printed, a 
week before even Mr. Littleboy and myself had 
met, or had written or exchanged a line of corre- 
spondence. The action of our Legislature, its ap- 
proval and official encouragement by the govern- 
ment of the United States, and by the City of 
Philadelphia, the mission created by your Excel- 
lency, as a high measure of courtesy to the parties 
abroad, were responded to by the summary action 
which I have indicated. 

It cannot be said that this objection is purely 
technical. Such admission would recognize the 
justice of any judgment which might be pro- 
nounced before a case was heard; and neither good 



36 

ethics nor equity of any sort would sanction such 
proceeding. And I am the more justified in this 
conclusion by a knowledge of the fact that more 
than one of Mr. Littleboy's committee of advice 
were not consulted in the matter from first to last; 
and, much more, that of all these advisers, I was 
allowed the opportunity of seeing but one, viz., 
Mr. Littleboy's brother. 

The foregoing remarks are essential for explana- 
tion of what shall follow; and especially so, in 
view of the fact that the action of the Legislature 
and other public bodies on the subject, your own 
proceeding, and my willing acceptance of the 
agency to "properly accomplish" the united wishes 
of all, were based upon the expectation that the 
"transfer of William Penn's remains" would be 
conceded by all parties who had a right to consider 
the matter. This belief was based not only upon 
the propriety of the measure, but upon reasonable 
inference from the original proposition. Instead, 
however, of the "offered transfer" suggested by 
your Excellency, it happened that the earliest pub- 
lic suggestion towards affecting it, encountered 
strenuous opposition from those who had the 
power to prevent it. 

I proceed now, to set forth to your Excellency 



37 

the actual proceedings of my mission. These must 
appear in the form of written communications be- 
tween the parties directly concerned;- the results of 
personal conference with others having been already 
suggested. 

The correspondence was as follows : 

Claridge's, London, July IQth, 1881. 
Richard Littleboy, Esq., Chairman, &c. 

Dear Sir : — 

You are already aware that I am here, 
in London, as the representative of the Governor of Penn- 
sylvania, to ask consent of the proper parties for the re- 
moval to Philadelphia of the remains of William Penn, 
now lying in a leaden casket, in the burial lot attached 
to Jordans' Meeting-house. You will not fail to appre- 
ciate the reasons why I have not communicated with you 
sooner ; but, being almost a stranger here, and necessarily 
unacquainted with the opinions of thoughtful and judi- 
cious men upon the subject of my mission, I have passed 
my time in informing myself of these, and discovering 
clearly the grounds of opposition, which are held by the 
Society of Friends, generally— which I partially knew be- 
fore I left Philadelphia. 

I think I am now advised of all the reasons which 
influence Friends in objecting to the plea of Pennsylvania ; 
and, as far as sympathy with a sentiment can operate, I 
am altogether one with them. But regarding the matter 
as I do, solely as of public concern,— outside of family 
considerations— I am forced to forego emotional influences 



38 

in behalf of the public advantage. In fine, I cannot con- 
sider the question in a narrower compass than that of 
public right. 

I may say, with pleasure, that I am informed of the 
kindly feeling which you entertain for the Governor's 
representative, and of the courtesy you will extend to- 
wards him. I am informed, also, that the Trustees of 
Jordans' burial-lot claim to have the legal custody of 
the remains of William Penn. As this, however, can 
hardly be of practical import, perhaps it is unnecessary 
to refer to the point ; and I will only say that, without 
my application, I have been furnished with the opinion 
of a solicitor here that this claim cannot be maintained. 
I am also advised that you are. assured that the descend- 
ants of William Penn are largely opposed to a compliance 
with the request of Pennsylvania. If this idea has at all 
influenced your action in the matter, I assure you that 
it is not substantial. None of the parties in England, I 
am confident, would oppose it, after such representations 
as can be presented; and the 'descendant' in America 
was most eager for its realization, until he failed to obtain 
the oflicial right to effect it. Of this I have the evidence 
at hand. 

I beg to say, in conclusion, that it will give me pleas- 
ure to meet you, if agreeable to yourself. It is true that 
we take different views of this subject, and that our dis- 
agreement is an earnest one ; but there is no measure of 
opposition, which can possibly disturb my friendliness of 
disposition in the matter, nor weaken my respect for the 
candid opposition which you may manifest. Under my 
instructions, therefore, I shall be glad to produce to you 
the credentials with which I am provided, and to ask 
your consent to the application of Pennsylvania for the 



39 

possession of the remains of William Penn for interment 

in the city of Philadelphia. 

Yours respectfully, 

Geo. L. Harrison, Commisioner. 



Newport Pagnel, July 17th, 1881. 

Geo. L. Harrison, Esq., Commissioner, &c., 

Claridge's Hotel, London. 

Dear Sir : 

My prospective engagements are such 
that it seems needful I should write you at once in re- 
ply to your favour to hand this morning. To-morrow 
(Monday) I find I can come to London, and if it should 
suit your convenience, I purpose to call upon you at three 
o'clock, prompt. I shall then be able to explain to you 
the views and feelings of the Society of Friends, and also 
of others interested, in respect to your mission. 

I shall also be able to hand you a definite reply to 
your application, which has been prepared by the Trus- 
tees of the burial-ground at Jordans, and by the Committee 
of the District Meeting of the Society of Friends, for whom 
we act. Should any prior engagement render it impos- 
sible to see me to-morrow, please to wire me at once, that 
I may get it prior to leaving home at eleven o'clock. 

I am, respectfully, 

Richard Littleboy. 

The meeting, thus arranged for, was held on 
the afternoon of July 18th, the 'deputation' re- 
ferred to being Mr. Richard Littleboy and his 
brother. I have already explained the purely 



40 

introductory character of this meeting, and I was 
naturally surprised and offended to discover the 
immediate publication of this circular in the Lon- 
don Times, as follows : — 

To THE Editor of the 'Times.' 

Sir: 

The proposed removal of the remains of William 
Penn from their resting place at Jordans, in Bucks, to 
Philadelphia, having obtained much attention on both 
sides of the Atlantic, I beg to inform you that a deputa- 
tion from the Society of Friends met Mr. George L. 
Harrison, the Commissioner from the State of Pennsyl- 
vania, in London to-day, and, after discussing the sub- 
ject with him, handed in a reply to the application, a 
cop3'' of which I enclose. 

And am respectfully, 

Richard Littleboy. 
Newport Pagnel, July ISth. 



' Copy of the Third Minute of Luton and Leighton Monthly 
Meeting of the Society of Friends, held at Jordans, the 2nd 
of the Qth Month, 1881. 

'This meeting having been informed that an appli- 
cation is likely to be made by the Legislature of Penn- 
sylvania for the removal of the remains of William Penn 
from their resting-place in the adjacent burial-ground, 
appoints the following Friends a Committee to receive 
and reply to any such application, and desires not only 
that such an application should be definitely refused, but 
that the views entertained by Friends respecting it, and 



41 

the grounds upon which their refusal is based, should be 
plainly stated — namely, Richard Littleboy, Theodore 
Harris, Henry Brown and John E. Littleboy. James H. 
Tuke, of Hitchin, and Francis T. King, of Baltimore, are 
invited to associate themselves with the Committee. 
'Signed on behalf of the Meeting, 

'by John E. Littleboy, Clerh. 



' To George L. Harrison, Commissioner from the State of 
Pennsylvania. 

'The Trustees of Jordans' Meeting-house and Burial- 
ground have received the application made on behalf of 
the Governor and Legislature of Pennsylvania for per- 
mission to remove the remains of William Penn, sup- 
posing that they yet exist, from their present resting- 
place to the city of Philadelphia. 

' The Trustees of the said Burial-ground have carefully 
considered the application, not only from their own 
stand-point as Members of the Society of Friends, but in 
a dispassionate and cosmopolitan spirit, and they have 
arrived at the conclusion that it is their duty to refuse it. 

'They respectfully submit the following considera- 
tions, which appear iq them to justify the course they 
have determined to adopt. 

' The quiet and retired spot in which the remains of 
William Penn at present rest was selected by him during 
the vigour of life as the burial-place of himself and his 
family. He is there surrounded by his two wives and 
five children, and many of his most intimate friends. 
The Trustees believe that the choice thus made was alto- 
gether in accordance with the example of his unostenta- 
tious life. They believe also that the removal of his 
6 



42 

remains to a Trans-atlantic home, amid the pomp and 
circumstance of a State ceremonial, accompanied in all 
probability by military honours and parade, would be 
utterly repugnant to his known character and sentiments. 

'The Society of Friends, to whom the Burial-ground 
of Jordans belongs, and for whom the Trustees are now 
called upon to act, have always objected to the use of 
elaborate monumental tombstones. For more than a 
century a rough plan of the grave-yard was the only 
available clue to the spot where the remains of William 
Penn and his family were laid. Guided by this plan, 
about twenty years ago small head-stones, bearing the 
names of the interred and the date of burial, were placed 
over the existing mounds, but it is more than doubtful 
whether they indicate in each case the exact spot of in- 
terment. 

* It need hardly be said that the memory of William 
Penn is honoured and revered among the Society of 
Friends in England as sincerely as in America, and the 
Trustees cannot admit that America possesses a priority 
of claim to the custody of his remains. 

-'It is true that he became the successful founder of 
the State of Pennsylvania, and that the great sagacity 
and unswerving Christian principles which guided his 
transactions as colonist and Governor have gained for 
him the respect and admiration of the civilized world ; 
but William Penn was born and died in England. In 
England his religious character was mainly formed. In 
England he was engaged for many years as a minister of 
the Gospel, and became conspicuous among the founders 
of a society, the influence of which has been largely ex- 
ercised for good, both in this country and America ; and, 
lastly, it was here that he dared to suffer persecution for 
his religious profession, and took his part manfully in 



43 

laying the foundation of that system of religious liberty 
which we now enjoy. 

* The Trustees are desirous of fulfilling in all respects 
the wishes of the society with whose interests they are 
entrusted, but with this reservation, they consider that 
they are the sole custodians of Jordans' Burial-ground. 

'They have received communications from many in- 
fluential members of the Society of Friends, and also 
from most of the lineal descendants of William Penn on 
both sides of the Atlantic, earnestly desiring that the 
proposal made by the Legislature of Pennsylvania may 
not be acceded to ; and they believe that they are largely 
supported in the decision they have arrived at by the 
opinion of a very large proportion of those who have a 
right to be consulted in the matter. 

'The Trustees think that in carrying out the project, 
one link in the chain which unites the two countries 
would be broken. Their desire is that the bond may be 
strengthened, and that the only rivalry existing between 
them may be the promotion of those things which tend 
to peace and amity and the extension of the Redeemer's 
Kingdom. 

'It is therefore from no feeling of discourtesy towards 
those who initiated the movement, but from a strong 
conviction of the soundness of the objections herein stated 
that they feel themselves compelled to refuse the appli- 
cation. 

'Signed on behalf of the Committee appointed by the 
monthly meeting, and of the Trustees of Jordans' 

estate, by 

' Richard Littleboy, Newport Pagnel. 
'Theodore Harris, Leighton Buzzard. 
' Henry Brown, Luton. 
' John E. Littleboy, Watford. 

' nth of the 7th month, 1881.' 



44 



Card to the 'Times' concerning the above 
Proceeding. 

Claridge's Hotel, July 22nd, 1881. 

WILLIAM PENN. 
To THE Editor of the * Times.' 

Sir: 

The communication published in the Times of 
yesterday, dated 11th inst., and headed as above, de- 
mands attention. 

It is addressed to the undersigned, and states that 
my application for the removal to Philadelphia of the re- 
mains of William Penn had been received, * carefully 
considered in a dispassionate and cosmopolitan spirit,' 
and, after much deliberation, had been refused. 

*I beg to say that all this is strikingly incorrect. I 
had no communication with either of the parties to the 
document, directly or indirectly, until the 16th inst., 
when I addressed a note to Mr. Richard Littlebo}^ in- 
viting an interview to show him my credentials, and to 
make the application referred to. The Governor of Penn- 
sylvania had informed this gentleman that I was intrusted 
with the negotiation, and would conduct the correspond- 
ence, etc. On the 18th inst., Mr. R. Littleboy called upon 
me, in company with his brother, and produced copies 
of the circular as published, dated a week before, in print, 
and ready for distribution. This document and cer- 
tain letters were read preliminary to our discussion. I 
expressed surprise that this course had been pursued ; 
but, as I was unwilling to attach to the parties any sus- 
picion of unfairness, and as I had no thought that a 
newspaper publicity was intended, from motives right 



45 

or wrong, and, as in parting, after a familiar interchange 
of views, I stated that I should formally answer their 
communication, my surprise at the obvious discourtesy 
and unfairness of the proceeding is very great. 

The parties have informed the public that my appli- 
cation for the removal of the remains of "William Penn 
to Philadelphia had been received by them, had been 
deliberately considered, and had been refused from a 
sense of duty, in a printed circular, embracing all these 
misstatements, issued a week before we had exchanged 
any communication whatever on that or any other subject. 

If this singular act of impropriety had been done to 
me as a private citizen, I might have borne it without 
remonstrance ; but I appear in this matter as the repre- 
sentative of the Governor of Pennsylvania, and with 
commendation of my mission from the United States 
Secretary of State to our Minister at London. For this 
reason I denounce the measure of discourtesy. 

Of course, I can hold no further communication with 
the parties to this circular, and my reasons for the action 
of Pennsylvania must be given through some other 
channel. 

At present I will respectfully ask you for a place in 
your columns for the foregoing statement. 

Yours truly, 
Geo. L. Harrison, Commissioner, &c. 



Answer. 

THE REMAINS OF WILLIAM PENN. 

To THE Editor of the ' Times.' 
Sir: 

Will you allow me, on behalf of myself and 
brother, to disclaim any discourtesy to Mr. Harrison? 



46 

He seems to think we have acted precipitately in pub- 
lishing our 'Reply.' 

The facts of the case are these : — Towards the end of 
May, I read in your columns that immediate steps were 
to be taken to carry out the project. On the 27th of May 
I wrote to Governor Hoyt, assuring him that the Trustees 
of the burial-ground could not entertain the application. 
On the 27th of June I received a letter from the Gov- 
ernor's private secretary, acknowledging the receipt of 
my letter, with a copy of the resolutions of the General 
Assembly of Pennsylvania, under the great seal of the 
State, in which the project was set forth in detail. The 
Trustees at once prepared their reply, which was handed 
to Mr. Harrison three weeks later, on the 18th inst. 
Prior to this no copy of the reply had left our hands. 
After the interview with Mr. Harrison we felt at liberty 
to give it publicity ; indeed, it was necessary to do so in 
regard to the many communications we were daily re- 
ceiving from both sides of the Atlantic. 

In conclusion, I may say that we wish to hold both 
Mr. Harrison and the country he represents, in sincere 
respect. 

I am, respectfully, 

Rd. Littleboy. 
Newport Pagnel, July 22nd. 



As the question of the removal of William 
Penn's remains was thus hurried before the pub- 
lic, without notice of the intention and so unex- 
pectedly on my part, it clearly became necessary 
that I should assign reasons, incomplete as haste 



47 

might make them, for the action of the Legislature 
of Pennsylvania and other official bodies. I there- 
fore addressed, at once, this letter to the London 
Times :^ 

REMAINS OF WILLIAM PENN. 

To THE Editor of the * Times.' 

Sir:— 

As I have been hindered from the course I had 
expected to take in presenting the reasons which I enter- 
tain for the acceptance of the proposition of Pennsylvania 
for the ' removal of the remains of William Penn,' I must 
ask your favour to introduce them into the columns of 
the Times. It is true that the appeal was dismissed with- 
out a hearing, but I feel that the indulgence I ask is due 
to the several authorities who have accredited my mis- 
sion. I am aware that I must abridge this paper in or- 
der to its publication, and that I muse avoid categorical 
answers to much that has appeared in the Times recently. 

I commence by saying that the reasons given in the 
circular of the Trustees of Jordans' burial-lot for refusing 
my request are based upon the idea that, William Penn 
having been a member of the Society of Friends, that 
Society, represented by the Trustees referred to, have an 
exclusive right to determine the question of the removal 
of his remains ; — which theory I shall endeavour further 
on to refute. 

The allegation that there is no certainty of finding 
these relics cannot be accepted, as charts of the descrip- 
tion named could not, in the nature of things, be suffi- 
ciently inaccurate, and, besides that, it is quite certain 
William Penn was buried in a leaden coffin. This 



48 

latter fact, besides being known to the ' descendants,' is 
corroborated by Prince Butterfield, who prepared Han- 
nah Penn's grave, and saw the leaden coffin, upon which 
she was laid. As to the opposition of the ' descendants,' 
an offer was made to Mr. Littleboy to allow acquiescence 
to depend upon their consent, and was refused. Passing 
now to deliver my message from home, I will say that 
the interest which my countrymen feel in this effort is 
shown by the action of the governing authorities of Phil- 
adelphia and Pennsylvania, and by the strong request of 
the United States Secretary of State to our Ambassador 
at London to aid me in my mission, expressing his as- 
surance that my 'success would be no less gratifying to 
the American nation itself than to the citizens of Penn- 
sylvania.' The ground upon which we base our applica- 
tion is that the public, here and elsewhere, have a right 
to look upon William Penn as a public man, and to use 
his memory in the most effective manner for the pub" 
lie good. We maintain, in the first place, that Pennsyl- 
vania is the theatre where his statesmanship was exerted 
to any extent, and the only spot where it was exerted with 
any measure of success; that what he gained by it in 
England was through personal influence with the exist- 
ing powers, and that even this was lost when he left her 
shores. We think that the founder of a State which has 
steadily advanced under the form of government and the 
principles which he devised, to a measure of the highest 
prosperity, and in population to the extent of five million 
people, cannot be considered in any respect the possession 
of any mere religious society, or any part of a commu- 
nity, or even of a State; that whatever concerns such a 
man, whether living or dead, outside of family consider- 
ations, is a matter with which the public has a right to 



49 

deal, and we think that, in the case of William Penn, the 
voice of Pennsylvania should not be excluded. His 'pri- 
mary laws' have never been abrogated there. The modi- 
fications, which the lapse of time necessarily creates, have 
neither changed their spirit nor their practical import. 
They still supply the wisdom and the inspiration which 
actuate the legislators of the State in the conception and 
creation of the Constitutional laws, under which the most 
substantial progress of the 'province' is secured. 

The people of Pennsylvania desire to possess the re- 
mains of this their great public man, and theirs only 
in that relation; and, if you please — although I have 
no information on the subject — to lay them in a tomb in 
the midst of his own square, laid out by himself in the 
centre of the city of Philadelphia, where now are under 
construction its great public buildings, through whose 
avenues thousands must daily pass — as we believe to be 
elevated for good or restrained from evil by the inevita- 
ble consciousness of the high, and pure, and courageous 
character of the man, then before them, whose enlight- 
ened administration of city and province secured for 
them the honourable position they enjoy among the 
States of the Union. And it may be argued, as a rea- 
sonable measure, that William Penn, if I may so speak, 
has a personal right to the exaltation for good, which 
Pennsylvania proposes. There can be no argument 
against this proposition. It is recognised as just 
throughout the civilized world. The honour is due 
to the individual who has served the people, and the 
people are entitled to have set before them the most 
effective presentation of the opportunity of imitating a 
noble character, and studying the principles which 
created it. Neither painting, nor statue, nor memorial- 

7 



50 

building will serve the purpose so well as a tomb which 
holds the ashes of the people's benefactor. 

No statue or memorial tablet in "Westminster Abbey 
so stirs our memories or influences our being, as the tomb 
within which the ashes of the good and great have been 
laid. This will be admitted without example. And as 
relates to Napoleon — for even this is quite appropriate to 
the argument — no statue of him. nor all the exhibitions 
of him and his exploits, which exist on canvas or in mar- 
ble, will arouse the adherents of his dynasty to perpetuate 
it, like the tomb in which his relics rest in the Hotel des 
Invalides in Paris. As matters stand now with William 
Penn's remains, no such effective process can exist. They 
lie in the lowliest hollow, at the very feet of two hills, in 
an unfrequented neighborhood, whose very existence is 
comparatively unknown. Until they were wanted in 
America, few persons themselves knew, or could readily 
learn from others, if indeed they cared to learn, where 
was their resting-place. When this intrusive stir of his 
distant friends is hushed, the apathy and the ignorance 
must perforce return ; and, while forcasting this, I must 
be pardoned for introducing a congenial circumstance, 
well known, and the issue of it happily cherished, by the 
citizens of Philadelphia. It may be known also here, that 
at one time the statue of William Penn was established 
at the seat of a nobleman near High Wycombe. When 
the base suffered decay, the statue fell, and was sold for 
old lead to a neighbouring plumber. This neglected fig- 
ure came under the observation of one of the grandsons 
of William Penn, who bought it of the plumber, re-estab- 
lished it — not in England, but in America — and it is now 
an object of lively interest to many who pass along the im- 
portant thoroughfare upon which the grounds of the Penn- 



51 

sylvania Hospital — popularly called Penn's Hospital — lie; 
in whose enclosure this interesting relic stands, and has 
safely stood, perhaps for a century or more. And as 
to William Penn's 'mortal remains/ who can see the fu- 
ture? Who can forecast the changes which may occur to 
disrupt associations, both religious and secular, until the 
small, but honoured Society of Friends may not remain 
in sufficient force and numbers to care to retain the re- 
mote and almost undiscoverable Meeting-house, under 
whose shadow they rest — even to hold a session there, as 
now, once a year? All good men would sadden at such 
a prospect as speculative thought suggests, but the con- 
cern which its possibility involves cannot be wholly cast 
aside. For it must be remembered that as to the posses- 
sion of William Penn's remains the 'Society of Friends' 
take issue against all the world. They must rest in Jor- 
dans' burial-lot until the tide of improvement sweeps 
over and obliterates them. 

If but a moderate part of the foregoing appeal be 
allowed, should it not be cordially granted? and does 
not its success forecast the larger amount of good to hu- 
manity to be attained? Are not the citizens of Pennsyl- 
vania near enough in every important respect to those of 
the mother land, that these should not only justify, but 
encourage, the measure we desire? And will not they, 
to whom the idea brings repugnance, suffer the incon- 
siderable sacrifice we ask for, under the consciousness 
that his remains will dwell in a land where his name is 
now a household word, where their permanency would 
be assured, and where their presence would be promotive 
of untold moral benefits — a land also where we may rea- 
sonably suppose he expected that his ' bones ' would finally 
rest; his letters declaring his intention when he last left 



52 

his native land for his adopted country, to fix his resi- 
dence there for the remainder of his life? 

The retention alone of his province, as is well known, 
forced his return to England. On all sides it would have 
been better if this danger had not called and kept him 
away. When in personal direction of the affairs of his 
province, his influence was complete, and peace and pros- 
perity prevailed ; when abroad, his subordinates departed 
from his ways, and losses and disorder followed ; unfor- 
tunately, too, without any counteracting compensation in 
the mother land, for obloquy, debt, and imprisonment 
beset him there, until his strong heart was at length dis- 
comfited, and he sank into gradual oblivion, until death 
at length brought him relief. 

I am very respectfully yours, 

Geo. L. Harrison, Commissioner, &c. 
Claridge^s Hotel, London, July 22. 



At the expiration of a week from the publication 
of this letter, having received no further commu- 
nication from any of the committee on Jordans' 
burial-lot, I addressed another letter to Mr. Little- 
boy; and a note, also, to a most honourable mem- 
ber of the Society of Friends, requesting him to 
take personal concern in having the 'Trustees,' as 
a body, give attention to my letters to the Times 
and to Mr. Littleboy. 



53 



LETTER TO MR. TUKE. 
Claridge's Hotel, London, Aug. Sd, 1881. 
James Hack Tuke, Hitchin, Herts. 

Dear Sir: — 

I enclose to you a very kind and un- 
deserved note of introduction from our mutual friend, 
Ellis Yarnall, Esq., of Philadelphia. 

I have a most favourable knowledge of you, from your 
volumes on the Irish question, and I have been desirous 
of meeting you as one of those who are openly opposed 
to the success of my errand here. 

Responding to the sentiment of the Governor of 
Pennsylvania, my highest wish has been to communicate 
the desires of our citizens and the reasons upon which 
they base them, in the most respectful, candid and kindly 
spirit to those who are opposed to the measure, viz., the 
removal to Philadelphia of the remains of William Penn. 
I think that I have, thus far, fulfilled such intention. 
On the other hand, however, I confess to pain and dis- 
satisfaction received from the chairman of the Trustees 
of Jordans' burial-lot, who pronounced upon the case 
before a word had passed between us, although my com- 
ing was announced to him by the Governor of the Com- 
monwealth, as his Commissioner in conducting the cor- 
respondence, oral or verbal, which might transpire. 

My purpose in writing at this time is to inform you 
that I expect to address to Mr. R. Littleboy, chairman, 
to-morrow, a communication on the subject referred to, 
and to have it accompanied by my letter to the Times. 

This act has become my duty; and my sole desire is 
that the two papers, although from necessity presented 
irregularly, may reach the Trustees, all of whom should, 



54 

I tliink, be made cognizant of the views most sincerely 
entertained by my countrymen. 

I have feared that Mr. Littleboy, under the large 
liberty which has evidently been allowed him, might 
not consider it necessary to extend my communications 
beyond himself. 

I remain yours very truly, 

Geo. L. Harrison. 



Claridge^s Hotel, Aug. 4.th, 1881. 
Richard Littleboy, Esq., Chairman, &c. Newport Pagnel. 

Dear Sir : — 

I consider it to be my duty to communi- 
cate with you again on the subject which has recently 
engaged our attention, and to request you to convey to 
the body of which you are the Chairman, the candid and 
earnest consideration of the matter, as it presents itself to 
me after mature reflection; and I will thank you to hand 
this letter to your associates on the Committee. I am 
sure that my present approach to you might have been 
avoided under different circumstances. 

I was not unmindful, before I left the United States, 
that great hindrances w^ould beset me in the prosecution 
of the task which I consented to undertake, in sympathy 
with the wishes of the people of Pennsylvania, and from 
my respect to the Governor, who honoured me with the 
commission to represent him in the undertaking. And 
I trust that, even to the close of my proceedings, I shall 
not be found to have deviated from such a course, as the 
delicacy of the trust and the credentials which I bear, 
demand of me. 



55 

I came here almost a stranger to your people, but not 
a stranger to the theme which has occupied my attention. 
I feel myself to be cognizant of it in all its aspects; for I 
have not trusted, by any means, to my own \dews and 
feelings, but, having compared these with the reflections 
of thoughtful men whom I have reached in England, 
including members of your own Society, I have been 
prepared to discuss the question with you, with reasonable 
confidence and with entire respect for your own opinions; 
and my note to you of July 16th inviting an interview, 
expressed the candour and the friendliness which I de- 
sired should mark our interchange of thought on the 
subject of my mission here. I expected to have been 
allowed an opportunity of discussing a matter of mutual 
concern and interest, as is usual with gentlemen; and I 
did not anticipate that a decree would have been pro- 
nounced and promulgated in advance of the presentation 
of my petition and the grounds upon which it was sus- 
tained. I knew well my impotence towards effecting a 
favourable result against your will, but I trusted to the 
generosity which power may well allow, for an equality 
of relation betw^een us during the discussion of a ques- 
tion of mutual concern, when the parties are always held 
to equal privileges. I regret to say that I have been dis- 
appointed. Your response to the friendl}'' visit which I 
invited, turns out to have been the merest pretence of a 
conference — a show of civility to satisfy the exactions of 
even the least fastidious of the community. Is not such 
the record? Your printed circular, under date of July 
11th, addressed to myself, states that you had 'received 
the [my] application for the removal of the remains of 
William PenM to Philadelphia ; had carefully considered 
it in a dispassionate and cosmopolitan spirit, and had re- 



m 

fused the application from a sense of duty.' This was 
i:)rinted and ready for the mail at least a week before we 
had a word or letter of communication on the subject; 
and the Resolutions of the Pennsylvania Legislature, 
which you claim to have received, and by which you 
attempt to justify your course, give no reason at all for 
the request. You acknowledge the receipt of Governor 
Hoyt's letter from Harrisburg, under date June 27th, an- 
nouncing my prompt departure for London, and imme- 
diately upon its receipt you put in print the declaration 
that my application had been received, carefully consid- 
ered, &c., &c. And, immediately on the heels of the pre- 
liminary conference, which you did concede for appear- 
ance sake, you publish in the newspaper to the unadvised 
public, your ' reasons for refusal,' &c., introduced by a 
convenient and friendly editorial, and satisfy yourself by 
this sham of information, by which the deluded public 
are made to believe that everything in the matter had 
been honestly, candidly, and fairly done. The natural 
apathy of the public may be contented with this delusion 
for the present — the question is so special and so old in 
its suggestiveness — but the law of compensation will hold 
in this as in other things, and the right understanding 
will prevail. 

You will pardon me for these warm words. Perhaps 
you will presently admit that they do not need excuse. 
Perhaps, too, the few paragraphs, which I had liberty to 
publish, have given you a knowledge of what the Gov- 
ernor of Pennsylvania expected me to convey to you, viz., 
that himself and those over whom he is placed in author- 
ity are desirous to revive and to perpetuate, in a public 
sense, without in the least derogating from his eminent 
position as a religious leader of your Society, the well- 



57 

earned fame of William Penn, the founder of Pennsyl- 
vania. Is not this a legitimate and a praiseworthy ob- 
ject? Is it right that William Penn shall continue to 
occupy the place in the public mind and heart which 
lie now holds, so weakened by time and silence that its 
strength is almost inappreciable, — a gossamer web for 
the strong fabric to which he may well be compared? 
Is it just that Society should suffer wrong — that your 
own special branch of Society should suffer wrong, by the 
obliteration of the knowledge of a great character, whose 
example might, in the manner proposed, be portrayed for 
imitation by the public, and who fairly created you and 
established you by sacrifices and persecutions, as well as 
by his large wisdom and large humanity? 

Being human, one cannot reject human methods, and 
the Friends have long recognized that truism. The 
dress, the speech, the manners which prevailed in your 
boyhood, have all become changed, and likened, in large 
degree, to those of the community in general. The sim- 
ple grass-mound, which, formerly, was the only permitted 
tomb for a departed Friend, yields to the head-stone, 
which is now allowed; and why may not this, on similar 
grounds, yield, in time, to the "monumental tombstone," 
which you now present as one objection to our proposal? 
The strong regulation which cut one off from your com- 
munion because he ' married out of meeting,' or, as the 
Right Hon. Mr. Forster says, in his own case, ' for doing 
the best act of his life,' has been wisely repealed — a pro- 
ceeding which removed from your Society my own (latest) 
progenitor, and, consequently, cut off his descendants. 

In the case before us, while no demonstrative show of 
expectation is manifest, the proof is before you that the 
highest officials of the several Governments of my coun- 
8 



58 

try, the Councils of Philadelphia, the Legislature of Penn- 
sylvania, and all whom I have met here or there, who 
were not Friends, have spoken outright in favour of the 
proposition which Pennsylvania makes; and I am con- 
fident that it sliould not be disregarded. Such a course 
is antagonistic to the judgment of the usual mind of 
thinking and conscientious men. 

You cannot fail to know that, until within the last few 
months, the recognition of the lowly grave in Jordans' 
lot, which holds the remains of William Penn, was not 
an object which drew from yourself or others any stronger 
emotions, than the other mounds which surround it. 
Indeed you declare that the spot which bears his name 
at Jordans' may not even designate the place where they 
repose ; and it is left to a stranger in your land to give 
information on this and other incidents, which relate to 
this once conspicuous man, — as I am advised from pri- 
vate sources, since my imperfect letter in the Tim,es was 
published. 

If, therefore, by elevating and extending the estimation 
of William Penn, not only for true and exalted states- 
manship, but also as an exemplar of the simple, and the 
pure, and the brave characteristics of his Christianity — 
for the memory of these would always be suggested — 
humanity will be benefited, as it must be, and as Society 
declares to be the case, under the circumstances we have 
set forth, can you consent to have his memory perish, or 
at least be barely kept alive by the few reminders of him, 
which exist within reach of public recognition? 

Have I failed altogether to suggest to you, even, that 
there may be some force in the presentation I have made 
of this interesting subject? Have I failed to interest, in 
my cause, even a few of the less restrained of your So- 



59 

ciety, who have not resolved to be 'still,' and confide the 
'contention' to yourself? Will you continue 'shut up' 
to the 'reasons for refusal,' which you determined on, be- 
fore I uttered a word by lip or pen, in defence of my 
plea? Have I not demonstrated in answer, in the first 
place, that public reasons outweigh the sentimental sug- 
gestions which compose the burden of the considerations 
which you offer for dissent? Can you point to a word 
from William Penn, which indicates that the spot where 
he rests was selected by him for his burial-place? And 
was not the selection of that locality made solely for a 
place of worship in time of persecution — under circum- 
stances which do not now exist, and which can never 
return? And is it not an historic fact that, when he last 
left England for America, he intended to end his life 
there? And that his return to England was not volun- 
tary but constrained? Have I not offered you the power 
to control the maimer of the re-interment of his remains, 
— the Governor of Pennsylvania selecting the location? 
I repeat the offer. Have I not shown that there is no 
reasonable ground for doubt as to the exclusive condition 
in which his relics repose, and therefore that such evi- 
dence would be imperative? Have I not offered to make 
the consent of the descendants to the removal of the 're- 
mains' a sine qud no7i to its fulfilment? 

Will not the bond of amity, to which 3'^our 'brother' in 
America refers, be rather weakened than strengthened by 
a refusal to the appeal of the several authorities, whose 
credentials I bear? Would this (mythical) bond not be 
confined to the Society of Friends to the exclusion of the 
public ? 

Will you tell me what answer I shall bear to the 
Governor of Penns^dvania, whose representative I am, 



60 

and to whose respectful and earnest message you have 
not answered a word, since it was delivered to you? WJll 
Pennsylvania continue 'still ' in such a case? For it will 
be remembered that a right to the custody of William 
Penn's remains is not conceded to the Trustees of Jor- 
dans; and it is not reasonable to suppose that his descend- 
ants will differ long as to the propriety of the removal of 
his remains to his old home and province. 

I beg leave to associate with this communication my 
letter of 22d July to the London Times, on the same sub- 
ject ; and I ask you to consider them both, and return to 
me your acknowledgment of them. 

Yours respectfully, 

Geo. L. Harrison, 

Commissioner, &c. 

I remained ten days in London, awaiting an 
answer to this second appeal, and was arranging 
for my departure, when, on the 15th August, the 
following letter reached me. 

PROPOSAL TO EEMOVE THE REMAINS OF WILLIAM PENN. 

To Geo. L. Harrison, Esq., Commissioner from State of 

Pennsylvania. 
Dear Sir : — 

I have duly received your letter of the 4th inst., 
and, at your request, the subject has been again brought 
under the consideration of the Trustees of Jordans' Estate. 
I think that it will be best for me briefly to recapitulate 
the course that has been already pursued. On the 27th 
of June I received a letter from the private Secretary of 



61 

the Governor of Pennsylvania, informing me that he was 
directed by the Governor to call my attention to the en- 
closed certified copy of the concurrent Resolutions of the 
General Assembly of Pennsylvania, requesting him to 
communicate with the heirs of William Penn, and with 
the Trustees of the churchyard, and with all other par- 
ties in interest. 

The Resolutions referred to, officially declared the de- 
sirability of transferring the mortal remains of William 
Penn, original Proprietary of the State of Pennsylvania, 
etc., from the graveyard at Jordans in Buckinghamshire, 
to the City of Philadelphia, for public interment there. 
The letter further informed me that the Governor had 
appointed Mr. Geo. L. Harrison as his representative, to 
conduct in person the correspondence required by the 
spirit and letter of the Resolutions, and that Mr. Harrison 
would sail for England on or before the commencement 
of the month of July. 

These important documents immediately received the 
anxious consideration of the Trustees. Completely at 
variance with your suggestion, the Society of Friends, and 
it might well be added a large proportion of the public, 
have always regarded the burial-ground at Jordans as a 
locality of special and very peculiar interest; and the 
Trustees felt that the application now formally made by 
the legislature of Pennsylvania, through Governor Hoyt, 
demanded from them a careful and courteous reply. 

The conclusion they arrived at, was embodied in a 
document dated July 11th, and this document, in accord- 
ance with the expressed wish of Governor Hoyt, was per- 
sonally handed to jon by two of the Trustees, on the 17th 
inst. of the same month, at Claridge's Hotel. An agree- 
able and very interesting conversation ensued. At its 



62 

conclusion you informed the Trustees that you were about 
to pay a sliort visit to the Principality, but that you in- 
tended to send a written reply to their document on your 
return to London. 

It may here be stated that the application had been re- 
peatedly alluded to in the American papers, and much 
interest was excited respecting it, on both sides of the 
Atlantic. Under these circumstances the Trustees thought 
it desirable to publish the correspondence. They for- 
warded to the Times and other newspapers the document 
that had been previously handed to you, and they ex- 
pected, whenever it might suit you to forward your 
promised reply, that you would adopt a similar course. 

I will only refer to your letter which appeared in the 
limes on the 22d July to express my belief that, in all 
probability, you regret its publication as sincerely as I 
do ; and will now proceed to notice very briefly the con- 
tents of your letter just received. Allow me to say, once 
for all, that I am sorry that you should have felt at 
liberty again to accuse the Trustees of discourteous con- 
duct towards yourself. The statement now made com- 
pletely disposes of any such accusation. 

Your letter appears to suggest that both the Editor of 
the Times, and the Trustees of the Jordans property, are 
more or less dependent on yourself for their information 
respecting the subject at issue. Surely it cannot be for- 
gotten that the 'Removal of the Remains of William 
Penn' has been prominently before the public for no in- 
considerable time, and that all the channels of informa- 
tion are as open to them as they are to you. 

The Trustees have every reason to believe that they 
are supported in their decision not only by the Society of 
which they are members, but by the opinion of the vast 



63 

majority of the thinking public, both in England and 

A-merica. 

It is very possible that some disappointment may be 
felt and expressed in Philadelphia. It is easy to under- 
stand that whatever is likely, in any way, to increase the 
prestige, or promote the prosperity of a great city, should 
be loudly welcomed by its citizens; but the Trustees do 
not consider that this is a sufficient reason to justify them 
in permitting the disturbance of a series of family graves, 
that have remained inviolate for nearly two centuries. 

If it could be shown that the possession of the leaden 
coffin that is supposed to contain the remains of the 
founder of Pennsylvania, would more effectually impress 
his sentiments and teaching on the minds and consciences 
of American citizens, than the splendid edifice that they 
propose to raise to his memory, a primd facie argument 
for its removal might possibly be maintained. The 
Trustees believe that no such result would be likely to 
ensue; that the voice of William Penn speaks just as 
loudly from beneath the green turf at Jordans, as it 
could do from under the shadow of a stately dome in the 
city of Philadelphia. 

The Trustees consider it is not necessary for me to 
reply in detail to the varied contents of your letter. 
They have given it their best attention. 

It sets forth very fairly, and with perfect justice, the 
Pennsylvanian view of the subject; but, with one excep- 
tion, it barely touches the important considerations raised 
by the Trustees, and they cannot allow it, in any way, to 
modify the conclusion they have arrived at, with the 
nature and import of which you are already acquainted. 
I am, very respectfully, 

Richard Littleboy. 

Newport Pagnel, Aug. 1 3, 1881. 



64 

Claridge^s Hotel, 

London, August 15th, 1881. 
Richard Littlehoy, Esq., Chairman, 

Dear Sir: — 

I acknowledge the receipt of your com- 
munication of 13th inst., and I thank the Trustees and 
yourself for this mark of respect which you have shown 
me. I notice, however, with regret that your conces- 
sion is still withheld. 

I have a few observations to make upon the contents 
of your paper. 

I would ask then, if I have presented the case of Penn- 
sylvania, 'with perfect justice,' as you admit, is it consist- 
ent to allege that her motives are directly the opposite 
from my assertions; especially that they are low and sel- 
fish? You may be sure that she needs no such extrane- 
ous aids as you suggest, to sustain or increase her ' pres- 
tige' or her 'prosperity.' And, while speaking of Penn- 
sylvania, I will say of her Governor, that he could not 
possibly have requested you to place in my hands, in the 
manner heretofore described, the circular you mention. 
I must also say, that I never gave you reason to suppose, 
at our 'interview,' that m}^ answer to that paper would be 
at all delayed. 

The charge that the Times and yourselves were unac- 
quainted with some incidents relating to William Penn, 
is true, but I disclaim all intention to impute a fault to 
you. I have already said that, in Pennsylvania, the 
name of William Penn is a household word. I have not 
found it so in England. But why bring in the Times f 
You surely seem to be a suitor for its favor. I have no 
contention with the Times, and have not sought its favor. 



65 

The paper has slighted me somewhat, and over-served 
yourselves. But this has not disturbed me. I read it, 
with interest, every day. 

It seems strange that my reference to the fact that the 
remains of William Penn repose in a leaden coffin, should 
provoke the facetious jesting, which occupies the largest 
paragraph of your paper. I really meant to remove from 
the mind of yourselves and others, the only pronounced 
obstacle to the proposal to disinter them. You must surely 
remember your declaration that their very existence was 
uncertain, and that it was quite doubtful whether they 
could be found. I aimed to solve these difficulties; but 
my attempt was, no doubt by my own fault, obscure. 

There are other observations in your present commu- 
nication which might well be criticised: — which have 
already been anticipated in the, perhaps, ' varied ' re- 
marks of my letters, which your Trustees do not think 
it 'necessary to consider.' Perhaps you might find in 
these, some further answer to the 'considerations' you 
have published. I have reproduced one now, and I must 
still insist that "thinking" and impartial men will recog- 
nise * answers ' to them all. I am willing to rest my case 
upon this assertion. 

I wish to say, in concluding my correspondence with 
yourself, as representing the Trustees of Jordans' burial- 
ground, that I disclaim all feeling of offence; that my 
earnest words are not meant for bitter words ; that I suffer 
great regret and disappointment, but that I part with 
you all in amity and goodwill. 

Very respectfully, 

Geo. L. Harrison, 

Commissioner, &c. 



66 

I have now concluded my Report of the Mission, 
with which I was charged by your Excellency. I 
am quite conscious of my imperfections, and espe- 
cially of my inadequacy, as your representative. 
I can claim, only, that I discharged the trust to 
the best of my ability, and regret that the grounds 
for a hope of success were so feeble, and that the 
efforts, which were made on its behalf, failed to 
accomplish the desired result. 

I remain, with high respect, 

Your obedient servant, 

Geo. L. Harrison. 
Philadelphia, July, 1882. 



ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. 

Executive Department, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 

Office of the Governor. 
Harrisburg, August 8th, 1882. 

My Dear Sir: 

Your report as Commissioner on 
the proposed removal of the remains of William 
Penn from England to Pennsylvania is before me. 
I have been over it carefully. 

It afforded me much satisfaction, on a previous 



67 

occasion, to assure you of my high appreciation of 
the skill, efficiency and courtesy with which you 
conducted your mission to the "Trustees of Jor- 
dans' burial-ground." 

We all can, now, only regret that the unanswer- 
able views you urged upon them, failed. 

Your report admirably and intelligently covers 
the motives and purposes of the General Assembly, 
and I am sure the people of the Commonwealth 
will join with me in acknowledging an indebted- 
ness to you for a public duty well discharged. 

You are entirely at liberty to print the report 
as suggested. 

Very truly yours. 

To Geo. L. Harrison, Esq., Henry M. Hoyt. 

Philada., Pa. 



CONCLUSION. 

I have now told the story of my errand to Eng- 
land, of my efforts to make it successful and of 
the determined ''policy," which forbade such a 
result. 

I have also endeavored to set forth the reasons, 
and to enforce them by fact and argument, which 
induced the General Assembly of Pennsylvania 



68 



earnestly and unanimously to recommend the un- 
dertaking. I hope, too, that I have fully con- 
sidered the objections to it, made by the Society 
of Friends, have given reasonable answer to them, 
and have offered every concession to prejudice or 
peculiarity, which could be fairly demanded. 

The future of this interesting question is, of 
course, obscure; but my own mind cannot resist 
the conclusion, that the time is not remote when 
all the responsible descendants of William Penn 
will agree to promote the wishes of Pennsylvania, 
and that equity, reason, conciliation will move the 
more generous and enlightened of the Society of 
Friends, to open the way to an honorable recogni- 
tion of our claims ; and that we may wait, there- 
fore, in the confident expectation that growing ob- 
scurity will not long continue to darken the 
memory of the founder of Pennsylvania. 



VISIT TO THE GRAVE, WITH INCIDENTS 
BY THE WAY. 



I have already referred to the difficuhy which 
exists in reaching the grave of Wilham Penn. 
There are, even in the present generation, many 
travelers from America to England, to whom his 
memory is interesting and attractive, who would 
gladly make a pilgrimage to Jordans, if the infor- 
mation of its whereabouts could be discovered, like 
that of Eaton or Oxford; or of Chiselhurst, where 
lie the relics of a lesser personage, viz.: Louis Na- 
poleon. But there are few in London, or at any 
point between London and the grave itself, who 
can point out the way to Jordans. It is possible 
that this little volume, which will contain a public 
report in relation to William Penn's remains, may 
be more largely read than past notices on the sub- 
ject, from better-known and abler pens than mine; 
and I shall venture, by pointing out the way and 
investing it with some interest, to quicken the de- 
sires of some of the multitude, who travel, year by 
year, to the fatherland, to visit the shrine at Jordans. 

The idea of transferring Penn's remains to Phil- 



70 

adelphia, has been .repeatedly suggested, and has 
been, no doubt, oftener entertained. But it is cer- 
tain that the effort to acconipHsh the removal has 
never before been made. An earnest hope on this 
behalf, however, was expressed in 1874, by Col. 
Forney, in an article for his newspaper the ^^Press,^' 
entitled "At the grave of William Penn," in which 
he says, "As we stood, on one occasion, on the steps 
of the house known as 'The Solitude,' in the Zoo- 
logical Gardens of Philadelphia, I resolved to seize 
the earliest opportunity to gather materials for just 
such a paper as this, but I never supposed that my 
experience Avould be so full of interest, nor, indeed, 
that the great William Penn would be found in a 
spot so obscure, or that his name would be for- 
gotten in the neighborhood where he lived and 
died. I am not without hope that the Friends of 
Philadelphia Avill take steps to remove the remains 
of their greatest leader to the State that bears his 
name, and to the City which he founded — in 1882. 
There is no place so fitting as Fairmount Park, 
and no time more appropriate for the ceremony, 
than the Centennial year." 

Another visitor, writing some years ago, de- 
scribes the hardships he encountered in finding his 
way to Jordans, and deplores the difficulty which 



71 

prevailed, in obtaining the "few hints" which were 
necessary "to visit the graves of this great and 
good man and his co-laborers in rehgious truth." 
He says further, "Arriving at the meeting house, 
we found it to be a one and a half story building of 
brick with a roof of tiles. A part of this structure 
is occupied by a family who has charge of it. The 
meeting house itself has nothing peculiar about it ; 
the same raised seats for ministers and elders, the 
same rough and uncomfortable benches, etc. In 
front of the main entrance to the house is the grave- 
yard. The stones which mark the graves are plain 
marble, about two feet above ground, and on them, 
plainly cut, are the names of those buried beneath. 
The whole place is badly kept, grass long and un- 
cut, fences and gates dilapidated. A meeting is 
held here but once a year; in 5th month succeed- 
ing London yearly meeting." 

My own experience in visiting the place was 
very interesting. I found the village of Slough, 
eighteen miles from London by the Great Western 
Rail Road, a convenient place to reach, and to ob- 
tain the needed "hints" to discover Jordans' grave- 
yard. At the White Hart Inn, the lunch, the 
travel and the repose, if needed, can be provided 
with cheerful hospitality. The place itself may be 



72 

visited, directly, and a return to London made, in 
less than a half a day. But the interest will be en- 
hanced by taking a more circuitous route, and ob- 
serving certain scenes and recalling certain inci- 
dents, with which William Penn's name is closely 
connected ; and the visitor will thus be better pre- 
pared to stand beside the humble resting-place of 
the venerable theologian and statesman, and con- 
trast his once conspicuous greatness with the pres- 
ent obscurity, to which, in one respect at least, his 
memory is consigned. We adopt the latter course, 
and choose Stoke-Poges for our first halting place. 
These royal grounds — the possession of noblemen 
for centuries, and the temporary abiding place of the 
martyr king — always suggest the name of Penn, and 
are thought by many to have been, at some time, 
the residence of William Penn himself; but it is 
doubtful if William Penn ever trod upon the green 
turf of this grand manor; and it is certain that his 
ancestors never possessed it, although they were 
distinguished denizens of Bucks, and one of them, 
named William Penn — the great-grandfather of the 
founder — is buried in the chancel of the church, 
which stands upon the grounds of Stoke Park, and 
which holds the great Penn pew of olden time ; dis- 
tinguished alike by its largeness and its unique 
furniture. 



73 

These ancestors are traced back to the four- 
teenth century, as holding lands in Bucks and en- 
joying considerable influence. The name of John 
de la Penne occurs as a knight for the shire in one 
of the Parliaments of Edward II. The ''William 
Penn" who lies buried in the church — the direct 
ancestor of the colonizer of Pennsylvania — was 
from Gloucestershire; the branches of the old stock, 
originally denizens of Bucks, separating, at length, 
into several counties. 

William Penn, of Pennsylvania, never resided in 
the old county of his ancestors, although he was 
attached to that district, and occasionally had a 
temporary abode there. In 1760, however, a branch 
of the family returned to Buckinghamshire; the 
Hon. Thomas Penn, the eldest surviving son of the 
Founder, having bought the manor of Stoke Poges. 

The circumstances now narrated, relating to the 
Penns, in their connection with Stoke Poges, have 
given rise to various erroneous impressions; as, for 
instance, that W^illiam Penn had been the pos- 
sessor of Stoke Poges — that the pew in Stoke 
church was his father's family pew — that he had 
established the monument to Gray, etc., none of 
which are facts. Neither Sir William Penn, the 
admiral, nor his son, ever had a domicil in Buck- 

10 



74 

inghamshire; nor had the latter, as many suppose, 
any part in the establishment of Jordans' meeting- 
house or grave-yard. 

The tomb of Gray, in the rear of Stoke church, 
would not be recognized by any visitor, from ap- 
pearance or inscription : none but those whose prin- 
cipal object in visiting the place should be to see 
the tomb, would discover, because of its simplicity, 
where the poet lay, nor identify it from the simple 
words which are imprinted there to his memory. 
His monument is a conspicuous cenotaph, distant 
from the church, and is inscribed with lines from 
one of his own poems. Not far from this lordly 
manor — which, but for its costliness, as reported, 
the Empress Eugenie would have purchased for a 
residence, in order to be near her friend the Queen 
of England, at Windsor Castle — stands the " home 
of Gray," which is now a beautiful villa, with 
many marked attractions, besides the natural 
charms which characterize that region of country. 

The admirer of the poet, however, longs to over- 
look the changes, and fashion, by his fancy, the 
"homestead of Gray" to its old-time simplicity 
and its uncultured native elegance. 

The drive along the well kept road, made full of 
interest by the picturesque scenes which it com- 



75 

mands, brings one at length to the "Grange," on 
the outskirts of the village of Chalfont St. Peters; 
the family seat of the Peningtons, who enjoyed 
great respectability in England, wherever known. 
The father of Isaac Penington, whose direct des- 
cendants have long had their home in Philadel- 
phia, and held high standing there, both socially 
and otherwise, gave to his son this homestead on 
his marriage with Lady Springett, widoAV of Sir 
William Springett, a young and heroic officer in 
the parliamentary army, who died from exposure 
in the service, a few years after his marriage. Sir 
William left two children, the eldest being Gu- 
lielma, the future step-child of Isaac Penington 
and wife of William Penn; the beautiful devout 
woman, who, thereafter, with her gentle, unfailing 
courage, sustained him in his most heroic and dif- 
ficult sacrifices. 

The "Chalfont Grange" is replete with the most 
interesting memories which, directly or indirectly, 
are associated with the life of William Penn. Its 
possessor was his earnest friend and supporter in 
his religious struggles, and shared the imprison- 
ments, which were the outcome of their constancy 
and fearlessness. It was in this family of Isaac 
Penington, also, that Thomas Ellwood, a co-worker 



76 

and sufferer in the same cause with Penn, became 
a tutor, and, for a number of years, gave instruc- 
tion to his children. 

Ellwood was not indifferent to the worth and 
beauty of Gulielma, but, with singular simplicity, 
he " restrained himself," lest it might be thought 
he acted unfairly, by taking advantage of his su- 
perior opportunities. Not far from the Grange, 
too, lived Milton, in a cottage in the village of 
Chalfont St. Giles, where he sought refuge from 
the drear plague, which then ravaged London. It 
was at the Grange, too, that William Penn found 
his wife in Gulielma Springett, having met her at 
her home there, on the occasion of a friendly visit 
to Isaac Penington, her stepfather, in 1670, at the 
age of twent^^-six. It is believed that this was his 
first visit to that locality. The important sequel 
may be given in the following abridged record 
from the monthly meeting books of that district: 
''In the Twelfth month, 1671, William Penn, of 
Walthamstow, in the County of Essex, and Gu- 
lielma Maria Springett, of Tilers End Green, in 
the Parish of Penn, proposed their intention of 
taking each other in marriage." And, following 
this minute, "In the First Month, 1672, the con- 
sent and approval of Friends was given thereto." 



77 

The mansion of the Grange estate has been 
completely renewed, the concluding transforma- 
tions having been made in the summer of 1880, 
when the superintendent of the work strove, with 
much effort, to point out to the writer, a small 
inner wall, which existed at the time of the Pen- 
ingtons. It is now the property and the residence 
of Lady Mary Russell, whose husband is a Canon 
of the Church of England. The view presented 
here is that of the Grange of olden time. 

The village of Chalfont, but little changed since 
this distinguished circle were near neighbors to it, 
comes next in our extended route to Jordans; and, 
crossing the limpid water of a wealthy spring, 
which flows across the road, we pass through this 
ancient hamlet, and, as we near the end, find Mil- 
ton's cottage. This rude dwelling, like the rest, 
continues to retain all its original features ; saving 
that a ruthless owner despoiled it of the porch, 
in which the poet held converse with his friends, 
and where Ellwood, his Latin teacher for seven 
years, often fulfilled his daily task, with a delight- 
ful reverence. 

The interior of the cottage shows its age in con- 
struction and wear. No personal relic exists there, 
and one must employ the imagination largely to 



78 

enjoy the 'memory' of the illustrious poet, while 
sheltered within these walls. 

Beaconsfield is the next point which must be 
sought, for the shortest approach to the grave of 
Penn, and the place is near at hand. It is a well- 
kept town of clean, wide streets and plain-built 
houses, and whose whole appearance repels the 
pleasing admiration of things not modern, which 
has grown and strengthened with us throughout 
our pleasant journeyings, until now. But the im- 
pression is soon lost upon leaving the place ; for 
whichever way you turn, either towards the home 
of "Lord Beaconsfield," or the Burnham beeches, 
or Jordans' meeting-house, you will encounter na- 
ture in all its picturesque and romantic loveliness. 
Our course tends towards Jordans, directly on the 
route to our point of departure, and after some 
inquiries, vainly made, and some mistakes of our 
driver, we find ourselves almost within view of 
the goal we have aimed for ; and turning into a 
descending lane, which is reached before we quite 
pass through Beaconsfield, we soon descry the 
plain white grave-stones, which point out the rest- 
ing places of a few Friends, whose graves it was 
thought fit especially to designate. This was ef- 
fected by Granville Penn, the last of his family, 



79 

who possessed that rural home of exceptional ele- 
gance and historic interest — the Stoke Poges Park 
and mansion. 

Here, in Jordans' burial ground, William Penn's 
grave is identified by one of those simple head- 
stones. It is set forth in a memorandum found 
amongst the papers of Rev. B. Anderson, late 
Vicar of Penn, who had the parish at the time of 
Hannah Penn's decease, that his old school-fellow, 
Adey Bellamey, and Prince Butterfield, an old 
man who attended the meeting, informed him that, 
"contrary to the rest, William Penn's head lies to 
the south, and the remains of his second wife, 
Hannah Penn, are laid upon his; also, that Prince 
Butterfield related that he saw William Penn's 
leaden coffin, when the grave was opened to bury 
his second wife." 

The surrounding district is one of the most 
charming nooks in England, abounding in rolling 
hills with heavy forests of beeches between, and 
here and there, though far apart, a homestead grey 
with age. We stand, however, in an obscure little 
burial-lot attached to Jordans' meeting-house, in a 
secluded dell, in this most lonesome region of the 
country, sought out for a hiding-place, when the 
sect of Quakers dare not worship God, without 



80 

offense to the rulers of the land ; and where such 
act, when known, was sure to meet with punish- 
ment. The place has long been neglected and, 
indeed, deserted. The rooms connected with the 
meeting-house are, it is true, still occupied by a man 
with his family, who is said to " keep the place," 
but he must also keep himself, for he receives no 
money for his services, and the "place" has been 
uncared for in the past, unless at the time of 
"meeting," which is held but once a year. 

We leave Jordans with the feeling that we have 
parted with at least one of the tenants of these 
graves, whose relics should follow us to our own 
homes, where for us and for our descendants, they 
might forever prove an incentive to the cultivation 
of those many virtues, which were possessed by 
the great philanthropist and statesman who formed 
our city and our State, and established a govern- 
ment as perfect in wisdom and in honor, as the 
history of nations discloses. 

Slough, the starting-place of our drive, is reached 
in less than half an hour, anci then we partake of 
the repast which has been prepared for us ; after- 
wards taking the train for London, and reaching, 
at length, our quiet abode at Mivart's. 



81 

LETTERS AND CREDENTIALS. 

It has occurred to me that the history of the 
mission to England might not be complete without 
the introduction of some correspondence, which 
has been incidentally referred to, in my report to 
the Governor. 

My communication with others was, in a large 
degree, personal; but the letters which I record, 
bear directly upon the subject, and I have ven- 
tured to abridge a few of them, in order to point 
their meaning distinctly. • Many are excluded 
either to avoid repetitions, or because of their 
claims to privacy. 

CREDENTIALS. 



Henry M. Hoyt, Governor of the Commonwealth, 

To all to whom these jpresents shall come, sends greeting : 

Whereas, In view of the approaching Bi-Centennial 
celebration of the settlement of Pennsylvania, and the 
ardent desire of its citizens to commemorate that event 
by the removal of the remains of William Penn for final 
repose amid the most enduring monuments of his fame, 
the Senate and House of Representatives of the Common- 
wealth of Pennsylvania in General Assembly met, have 
passed the concurrent resolution, a copy of which is hereto 
annexed : 

Now, therefore, I, Henry M. Hoyt, Governor of Penn- 
sylvania, reposing especial trust in the judgment, integ- 
11 



82 

rity, and patriotism of George L. Harrison of the city of 
Philadelphia, do commission him, as the personal repre- 
sentative of the Governor, to conduct the correspondence 
and conclude the matters contemplated in the concurrent 
resolution aforesaid, and do hereby commend him to the 
good offices of all those in authority and in interest in 
England, that they may assist him in the performance 
of his mission on behalf of the authorities and people of 
this Commonwealth. 

M. S. Quay, 
By the Goveimor. Secretary of the Commonwealth. 



Action of the Mayor and Councils of Philadelphia. 

Resolutions relative to the Transfer of the Mortal Remains 
of William Penn from England to America. 

Whereas His Honour the Mayor of the City, by a mes- 
sage presented June 2d, informed Councils that the Senate 
and House of Representatives of the State of Pennsylva- 
nia had passed resolutions expressive of a desire to have 
the mortal remains of William Penn transferred from 
their present resting-place in England to the City of 
Philadelphia, in which resolution he heartily concurred: 
And whereas: In pursuance of the action of the State 
Legislature his Excellency the Governor has commis- 
sioned our fellow-citizen George L. Harrison to proceed 
to England and make arrangements with the heirs and 
other friends to have the remains of William Penn con- 
veyed to our city ; therefore — 

Resolved by the Select and Common Councils of the 
City of Philadelphia, That we approve of the action of 
our State authorities, and do hereby request and authorize 
His Honour the Mayor to issue, under the Corporate 



83 

Seal, a Commission to the said George L. Harrison to 
represent this City in the matter herein referred to. 

Approved by the Select and Common Councils of the 
City of Philadelphia, this 14th day of June, 1881. 

{Attest.) Joseph H. Paist, 

Clerk of Select Council. 

From U. S. Secretary of State to Minister Lowell. 

Department of State, 
Washington, June 11th, 1881. 
3£r. James Russell Lowell, 

Minister of the United States, 

At London, England. 

My Dear Sir : 

At the instance of His Excellency Henry 
M. Hoyt, Governor of Pennsylvania, I have much pleas- 
ure in presenting herewith to your personal acquaintance 
the Honourable George L. Harrison, a reputable, promi- 
nent, and public-spirited citizen of Philadelphia. Mr. 
Harrison has been commissioned to proceed to England, 
for the purpose of negotiating with the heirs of William 
Penn, original proprietor of the State of Pennsylvania, 
and founder of the City of Philadelphia, for the transfer 
of his mortal remains to the United States, and their 
public re-interment in that City, in accordance with the 
provisions of a Joint Resolution of the Senate and House 
of Representatives of that Commonwealth, approved May 
16, 1881, to that end. 

It would be no less gratifying to the American Nation 
itself, than to the citizens of Pennsylvania; and highly 
creditable to the public spirit and patriotic sentiments of 
a former native of Philadelphia, at whose sole expense 



84 

the removal in question is to be prosecuted, should the 
efforts of Mr, Harrison be crowned with success. I 
have therefore to cordially commend him to your favor- 
able consideration, in connexion with his proposed visit 
to England, and to request that you will extend to him 
every assistance, compatible with your official duties, 
which it may be possible for you to contribute towards 
the successful attainment of his mission while abroad. 
I am, my dear Sir, very truly yours, 

James G. Blaine. 



LETTERS. 

From D. Parrish to the Hon. John Welsh, Philada. 

Hotel Bellevue, 
Dresden, May 23d, 1881. 
Dear Sir : 

A rather prolonged absence on the Continent 
is my excuse for not sooner writing to you, and thanking 
you for the interest you have taken in the project of the 
removal of the remains of Penn. 

I am happy to inform you that Mr. Penn Gaskell has 
given his most hearty approval, and promises his support 
in the matter; and I am only waiting until I return 
to London, and the arrival of the resolutions which, Mr. 
Wallace writes me, have been passed by the Historical 
Society, to set vigorously to work, and I have little doubt 
of success. 
Hoping that you are in the enjoyment of good health, 
I remain yours very truly, 

D. Parrish. 



85 

Mk. G. L. Harrison to Peter Penn Gaskell, Esq. 

Claridge^s Hotel, 
London, July 5th, 1881. 
Peter Penn Gaskell, Esq. 
Dear Sir : 

I beg leave to hand you the Resolutions oi 
the Legislature of Pennsylvania in relation to the re- 
moval of the remains of William Penn. The main object 
of my visit to England will thus be made known to you, 
and I will than-k you to give me an opportunity, at your 
earliest convenience, of a personal interview with you on 
this subject. 

I am very truly aad respectfully yours, 

Ge©i L. Harrison. 



From D. Parrish to Geo. L. Harrison. 

Southborough Lodge, 
Brickley, Kent, July Gth, 1881. 
Geo. L. Harrison, Esq., 

Claridffe's Hotel. 
Dear Sir: 

Yesterday Mr. P. Penii Gaskell called at my 
office, and we had a few minutes conversation, in which 
he expressed surprise, that you had actually arrived in 
London, as he thought you were only about leaving 
Philadelphia. He also said he had received a letter from 
Col. Stuart which he would like to show me; the purport 
of it was that he (Col. Stuart) had no very diecided opin- 
ion about the removal of Penn's remains, and would not 
oppose it. I will endeavor to call on you ^dthin a day 
or two, when we can talk the matter over. 

I remain yours very truly, 

D. Parrish. 



86 

Geo. L. Harrison to D. Parrish. 

Claridge's Hotel, July 7th, 1881. 
D. Parrish, Esq. 
Dear Sir: 

I have your note of this day's date, and 
think that Col. Stuart's acquiescence will remove the main 
hindrance to our success. 

I wrote to Mr. P. Penn Gaskell yesterday morning, re- 
questing an interview, when and where it might be con- 
venient to him, but I have not, thus far, had an answer. 
It is my intention to communicate with Col. Stuart 
to-morrow. I propose, after a formal interview with 
these gentlemen, to ask them to meet yourself and me, 
and I hope that we shall all be in agreement in the mat- 
ter which interests us. 

Very truly yours, 

Geo. L. Harrison. 



Geo. L. Harrison to Col. Stuart. 

Claridge's, London, July 7th, 1881. 
Col. Stuart, of Temptsford Hall, 
Sandy, Bedfordshire. 
Dear Sir : 

I have the honor of informing you that I 
have arrived here from Philadelphia, being commissioned 
to represent the Governor of Pennsylvania, in fulfilment 
of the duty imposed upon him by the Legislature of that 
State, to obtain the consent of yourself and others, in 
authority, for the transfer of the remains of your re- 
nowned ancestor, William Penn, for re-interment in the 
City of Philadelphia, which he founded. I desire to hand 
you the Resolutions of the Pennsylvania Legislature on 



87 

the subject, and to show you the credentials which I 
possess, recommending my mission to your favorable 
consideration. Requesting your kind attention to this 
note, and the favor of an interview at such time and 
place as may be convenient to yourself, I remain, with 
high respect, your obedient servant, 

Geo. L. Harrison. 



John Walter to Geo. L. Harrison. 

40 Upper Grovenor St., July 8th, 1881. 

My Dear Sir : 

I have spoken to Sir R. Assheton Cross, 
Mr. Bright, and Mr. George Palmer on the subject of your 
mission. The Home Secretary has no initiatory power 
in the matter ; he can simply give his consent to the pro- 
ceeding, when it is agreed to by the parties interested. 
Mr. Bright thought that the Trustees of the burial-ground, 
Mr. Littleboy in particular, would positively refuse their 
sanction. 

Mr. George Palmer took a more hopeful view of the 
case, and thought that there were no insuperable diffi- 
culties on the score of religious scruples on the subject; 
and that the chief objection would be that of removing 
an English subject, as Penn was, to American soil. Mr. 
Palmer will probably call upon you at Mivart's. 
I am, very truly, 

G. L. Harrison, Esq. J. Walter. 



Col. Wm. Stuart to Geo. L. Harrison. 

Temptsjord Hall, Sandy, July 9th, 1881. 
My Dear Sir: 

I regret very much that it is out of my 
power to see you down here now, as I am going abroad 



88 

in two days, for some weeks. But should your stay in 
England be continued until my return, about the middle 
of August, I shall be most pleased if you will come down 
here for a few days. With regard to the object of your 
visit, I cannot help you. Personally, I have no interest 
with the ruling powers, and as one of the descendants of 
William Penn, I feel, with others of my branch of the 
family, great repugnance to the idea of disturbing or re- 
moving his remains. However, the custody of them rests 
with others than the family, but I believe they are not 
disposed to encourage any attempt at removal. Hoping 
I may have the pleasure of a visit from you on my return 
from Kissingen, 

Believe me very faithfully yours, 

G. L. Harrison, Esq. William Stuart. 



Geo. L. Harrison to Col. Stuart. 

Claridge^s, London, July lltli, 1881. 
Col. Stuart, 

My Dear Sir : 

Your very frank and welcome letter of 
9th inst. is received, and I thank you for your kind invi- 
tation to Temptsford Hall, on your return from Kissingen. 
I shall be disappointed not to meet you before I leave 
for the United States, because I am earnestly desirous of 
placing before you the views which are entertained by 
my countrymen, in asking for the presence in their midst 
of the remains of your ancestor, William Penn. 

I have not come here to antagonize anyone, even the 
most interested or determined advocate of keeping what 
is mortal of the great man, — which should be suggestive 
of noble aspirations and enlightened statesmanship, — in 



89 

the obscure spot and almost indistinguishable situation, 
in which his burial place remains to-day. I well know 
and I highly respect, for its sincerity and candor, the 
sentiment which influences those who have the "custody" 
of the remains of Wm. Penn ; but this sentiment, I am 
sure, is not shared by the reflecting public, whose views 
are not colored by the peculiar conceptions of that most 
respectable class of the community ; and but for the tend- 
erness of feeling, which naturally afiects yourself and 
others of your family, the "repugnance" which you feel, 
in view of disturbing the remains of your ancestor, for 
re-interment where great social and political advantages 
would be derived from it, would not, I confidently trust, 
be entertained. I shall not, at this time, discuss further 
this interesting matter, but in the uncertainty of meeting 
you, I venture to ^.hrow out the foregoing suggestions; 
and I cannot doubt that the time will come, when there 
will be a united desire to have the tomb of Wm. Penn 
removed to a scene where, alone, his statesmanship was 
displayed, where the memory of it will be continually 
revived, with fruitful benefits, and where his nobility 
and virtues of position and character will be properly 
manifested. 

I am most truly yours, 

Geo. L. Harrison. 



Extract from a Letter of R. Littleboy. 

"It seems to me to be my place to wait until Mr. Har- 
rison puts himself in communication with me. After a 
private interview, if I fail to satisfy him as to the views 
of Friends, supported as they are to a large extent, by 
William Penn's lineal descendants, I will summon the 
committee to meet him in London." 
12 



90 

Peter Penn Gaskell to Geo, L. Harrison. 

London, July Idth, 1881. 
Dear Mr. Harrison: 

As promised, I enclose Col. Stuart's 
letter, together with a full correspondence between Mr. 
Littleboy and myself. I have seen my legal adviser to- 
day, who promises to let me have an opinion upon the 
rights of the Trustees of Jordans, in a day or two. 

He thinks (without consultation) that the Trustees 
have no manner of right to the remains, when the legal 
representatives have consented. I shall communicate 
with you as soon as I hear further from him. 

Yours very truly, etc., 

Peter Penn Gaskell. 



Letter from P. Penn Gaskell to R. Littleboy. 

London, July Qth, 1881. 
Dear Sir: 

I have received your favor of the 27th ult., 
which, after some delay, has reached me. I find myself 
in a very peculiar and difficult position with regard to 
the removal of Wm. Penn's remains. While doing full 
justice to the feelings which prompt you to express the 
opinion you have, I cannot fail to recognize the claim of 
a population expressed through their legal representa- 
tives, and cannot quite see that I or any individual has a 
right to stand between the popular wish and its attain- 
ment. Wm. Penn's ashes lie in this country almost un- 
known and unhonored ; there are those who wish to place 
them in a shrine, to serve as an example of honesty and 
uprighteousness of character to millions, among whom 
his name is a household word. I cannot see how I can 



91 

honestly oppose such a laudable object. I shall be glad 
to hear further from you upon this subject, and must ex- 
press my doubts as to the Trustees of the burial ground 
having sole authority in this matter. 

Believe me, etc., yours very faithfully, 

Peter, Penn Gaskell. 



From Jno. E. Littleboy to Geo. L. Harrison. 

Hunton Bridge near Watford, 
July Idth, 1881. 
Dear Sir: 

When conversing with my brother and self 
yesterday, I understood you to say, that you possessed 
evidence establishing the fact, that at one period of his 
life, William Penn personally desired that he might be 
buried in America. I venture to offer one or two re- 
marks on this phase of the question. Had William Penn 
died during his short visit to America I think it may be 
accepted as a moral certainty that he would have wished 
to be buried on your side of the Atlantic. It is inconsist- 
ent with his well-known views to suppose that under any 
circumstances, he would have left directions for the re- 
moval of his remains to England. However sincerely 
he may have desired to rest beside his beloved and charm- 
ing wife in the picturesque burial-ground at Jordans, he 
would have felt the inconsistency of such a course, and 
would naturally have refrained from adopting it. 

It is therefore extremely probable, when contemplating 
the possibilities of death during his tarriance in America, 
that he might have made such arrangements for his in- 
terment as he considered, under the circumstances, to be 
necessary or desirable; but assuming that such was actu- 



92 

ally the case, I think you will admit that it does not in 
the smallest degree invalidate the correctness of our state- 
ment, that William Penn selected Jordans, during the 
vigour of his life, as the burial place of himself and 
family. 

Believe me, dear sir, yours truly, 

John E. Littleboy. 

Geo. L. Harrison, Esq., 

Claridge^s Hotel, Brook Street, 
Grovener Square, London. 



Copy op Cablegram to Governor Hoyt. 

London, Jtdy lid, 1881. 
Governor Hoyt, 

Harrisburg, Pa., 

Littleboy publicly announces re- 
ceipt of "application" before seeing or hearing from me, 
directly or indirectly. 

Geo. L. Harrison. 



Copy of Cablegram to Geo. L. Harrison. 

Harrisburg, July 24:th, 1881. 
Hon. Geo. L. Harrison, 
care of J. S. Morgan & Co., 

London, England. 

I have entire faith in your ability to vindi- 
cate the good faith of your mission, and fully approve 
your conduct and position ; no responsibility for failure 
will attach to you. 

Henry M. Hoyt. 



93 

Geo. L. Harrison to Dillwyn Parrish. 
Dilhoyn Parrish, Esq., July 2dth. 

Dear Sir : 

I thank you for your letter of yesterday, I 
wrote Col. Stuart on last Saturday, before leaving Lon- 
don, directing to his residence, and requesting that my 
letter be forwarded. I expressed my desire to see him on 
his return, in the middle of August. I am considering 
the question now, of a hearing by the whole body of 
Trustees. I think it highly important to have the legal 
" opinion," and also to meet Col. Stuart. It would give 
me a fine basis for a letter to the Trustees. We should 
have an enormous influence with the public, whose sym- 
pathies and interest would be gained, when we could 
show that we had the family and the law on our side. 
Yours truly, 

Geo. L. Harrison. 



Extract from Letter of Geo. L. Harrison to 
Dillwyn Parrish. 

July 27th, 1881. 

I hope that you will show the utmost value to the 
judgment of Mr. Penn Gaskell, for he is a most import- 
ant friend to our effort. Consult him in whatever matter 
I confide to you. There has been no personal aid outside 
of Mr. Gaskell, to make operative with the Friends. I 
have the approval of individual Friends, as well as of 
public men, Mr. P. and others; but personal help is 
another thing. One other important point is to have a 
favorable opinion as to the rights of the descendants on 
the question. 

AVithout the consent of the most important of these, 



94 

and without the law on our side, the Home Secretary- 
would not give his approval. J. B. in the cabinet would 
be sufficient to settle a doubtful point. 

I hope this opinion will be obtained. I will gladly 
pay for it. 

Yours truly, 

Geo. L. Harrison. 



DiLLWYN Parrish TO Geo. L. Harrison. 

London, Jvly 2Sth, 1881. 
Geo. L. Harrison, Esq., 

Hotel Meurice, Paris, 

Dear Sir: 

I did not receive your letter of 26th in sea- 
son to send to the Times office, so that the article would 
appear in to-day's issue. I have little doubt that it will 
appear in that of to-morrow. I think it a very good 
answer to Mr. Litteboy, and exposes very clearly his pre- 
cipitancy and his discourtesy in giving premature publi- 
cation to the " circular." 

I do not think, however, that the public take much 
interest in the matter; and the interest of the Society of 
Friends is so unquestionably to retain the remains over 
here, that you are right in believing that any further 
newspaper publications would be useless. I agree with 
you that it is now a question of influencing the represen- 
tatives of the family to make the demand upon the Home 
Secretary. I shall endeavor to see Mr. Gaskell and get 
from him counsel's opinion, as you request. 

I remain yours, very truly, 

D. Parrish. 





















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